Red String: Jewel of Life
by PockyNerd
Summary: Alessandra turned 15 and with the help of Decidueye she's determined to find her lost Froakie, named Oaky. In the meantime she also finds her family's work dragging her into saving Team Flare's science experiment before its too late for her too. A Greninja is denying his own past and a Treecko won't stop fighting until he gets his best friend away from a horrible trainer.
1. Alessandra

The waves bumped up against the boat harshly for the third day, forcing my head and half of my torso over the edge of the boat again for the third day in a row. I HATE the ocean more than any pokemon. Thankfully today I was smart enough to put my fiery hair up in a single braid that didn't leave my back.

I groaned and put my forehead against the rail of the boat. "Why? Why did I have to go back to Kalos?"

Decidueye responded with a tilt of his head. He, at least, seemed fine.

The speaker screeched with a microphone being too close to it, "Passengers, we are arriving…"

"Finally!"

I hadn't been to Kalos in nearly ten years but this year was different. This day was different. This day…made me sick to my stomach long after we walked off the boat and every step my stomach flipped quicker and more painfully. My lungs nearly collapsed on me as we walked the dirt road to a lonely mansion, near the side of a cliff that my best friend once fell from long ago.

The big red door was like a stop sign or maybe an omen to turn back. I turned the knob and pushed it inward, "I'm home, Grandma!" I croaked.

There was no answer. After a few moments the grandfather clock at the top of the stairs sang the lonely, monotonous hymn it sang every hour on the hour and not a second sooner or later.

"She must not be home," I breathed out slowly as if merely mentioning this fact was enough to bring her popping right back. I set my bag at the foot of the stairs and walked out the back door.

The breeze was so light that it only kissed my denim shorts. Leaves came off the old oak trees that surrounded the home. My breath caught in my throat. It was on a day like this that I first met him.

I was only four years old but grandma still thought it would be a great present to give me a newly hatched froakie. "Oaky!" I unintentionally named him, and the name stuck. Oaky went everywhere with me, never once did he leave my side.

In his memory I marked the spot with a neat pyramid of rocks near the edge of the cliff where I lost him. Every year he was gone grandma added a new rock to the base of the forming pyramid. I knelt down and touched the flag I added to the top years ago.

"My child, you shouldn't play near the edge," grandma's voice carried in the wind. I looked up at small old woman hunched over her cane.

"I'm not, grandma." I assured her.

She walked with both hands on her cane and Henry, her butler for nearly a decade now, stood on alert behind her, ready to catch her should her strength or her cane fail. "Did you have a wonderful trip?" She held out her small arm, an invitation that I wasn't allowed to decline.

I weaved my arm through hers and walked at her pace. Decidueye walked behind us with Henry with a very relaxed nature, watching me and my emotions so he knew whether or not to step in. He'd never met grandma before so, to him, the old woman could still pose a threat.

 _No, I did not have a nice trip. I don't want to be here with you! I want to search for Oaky_. "Yes, I did." I forced a smile. "You should visit Alola. It's a beautiful set of islands. How is your Paradise Project?"

"Oh, dearie, you give me too much credit. It isn't my project it is Henry's. I just helped him start it up."

I helped her take that step inside.

"The Project is so far a success, madam," Henry answered formally. I hated formal talk. "You should come and visit. It's open to the public now so that humans can interact with the pokemon."

The cloud that hung over my head since I got on the boat momentarily dissipated and excitement replaced it. "Really? Can you take me?"

Henry's face half grimaced at the thought of declining but grandma patted his arm and said, "Go ahead, Henry. I will be okay if you leave me for a few hours. Being alone will actually do me some good."

Henry nodded and gave me a smile. Ten years of wrinkles made him look older than thirty-five and his brown eyes looked lighter as if he were happier.

The road was bumpy but I hardly felt it in my excitement. Decidueye sat in the bed of the truck, enjoying the wind that ran through his feathers. I laughed at the expression on his face. Soon, a fence like one used in ranches came into view and then the sign _Paradise Ranch_ in bright green letters hung over the gates.

"I don't like to keep them in buildings. The more they feel like they're in the wild the better," Henry explained as he slowed to a stop in front of the gates. I didn't wait for him to get out before I jumped out and ran to the gates.

Henry stepped out of the truck and unlocked the gates, he didn't even have to open it I just pushed on through and went straight to the directory near the entrance. It appeared he had four terrains: forest, desert, mostly rocky and hill-like terrains, and finally a huge body of water that split into three rivers.

"Which one should we check out first, Decidueye?" I couldn't decide. Decidueye led the way into the dense forest. There were many pockets of shadows that Oaky would've loved to hide in and some of the ghost and dark-type pokemon did hide in them. Only the youngest ones ran out into Decidueye's shadow to copy him and when he turned around to check on me they would run to hide, sounding almost amused. The Sableye especially had a fun time with this game.

I laughed and plucked off a leaf from a low hanging branch. All types of bug and grass, ghost and dark-type pokemon lived here and all of them orphaned or in need of a home. We followed the trail to the huge pool of water. At the water's edge was a pyramid of rocks similar to the one at home and the pokemon that played near it were careful not to knock it over except for the Squirtle that tripped over it. It looked almost saddened to have tripped over it and tried to put everything back the way it was and when it was satisfied it dove into the water. The scene brought a smile back to my face.

I sat near the river and all of the pokemon that was playing near the water's edge swam away from me, scared of the new comer. I put the leaf to my lips, and blew into it a soft melody.

 _"What are you humming, dearie?"_ Grandma asked me once.

 _"I made Oaky a lullaby."_ I declared, only five years old at the time.

The tune was sweet but ten years of bitterness morphed it into sadness. Still, the tune was beautiful and it reminded me of Oaky. It attracted all of the pokemon near or in the water and some were moved to tears by the sadness of the tune.

"That was…beautiful," a strange voice startled me when I was done and I dropped the leaf into the water. _I guess I won't be playing that again anytime soon._ "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," the voice belonged to a boy behind me with black hair and features that only belonged in the Kanto regions. Next to him stood three more people, two of whom looked like they were related somehow.

I stood and dusted off the butt of my pants. "It's okay, I was done playing the tune anyway." By now all of the pokemon had scattered.

"What kind of a pokemon is that, big brother?" The small blonde girl tugged at her older brother's pants.

"Looks like an Alola pokemon. A…decidueye, I think."

I nodded. "How did you guess?"

The blonde boy grinned with pride.

"This is Decidueye. I'm Alessandra but people just call me Alice."

The boy with the black hair went first, "I'm Ash and this is my buddy, Pikachu." Pikachu greeted us after the boy, perched on his shoulder.

"I'm Clemont and this is my little sister, Bonnie," for some reason he seemed to be holding his sister back and covering her mouth while she relentlessly fought him.

"And I'm Serena." This girl had very long hair that went past her shoulders.

I smiled and turned to Decidueye to see if he was ready to leave but there was a gleam in his eyes I hadn't seen in him in a while. He was staring at Ash's Pikachu who held that very same gleam, the red in its cheeks burned with electricity. Finally, as if some tension between them became too much, Decidueye jumped out in front of me and Pikachu hopped in front of Ash. The sudden movements took Ash aback.

I laughed. "It seems our Pokemon want a battle. I don't keep very many pokemon on me, though. I only have two others."

"That's okay," Ash grinned. "We'll use three pokemon each then."

I nodded. "Decidueye, back to me." Ash looked shocked so I explained. "I never make Decidueye go first." I took out a pokeball and kissed it. There was a superstition among my family if you kissed the ball the pokemon could feel it inside and it was considered good luck. "Okay, you ready, Gengar?" The pokeball opened up and Gengar looked pleased to finally be fighting again.

"Hawlucha, go!" Ash threw his pokeball and there stood the masqueraded bird pokemon.

"Gengar, use shadow punch." Gengar ran at Hawlucha who impressed me with its dodge. I hardly heard Ash call out a command but I recognized aerial ace from anywhere. It caught Gengar head on. "Quick, use dark pulse!" Gengar wasted no time recovering from the initial shock of being hit to forming the dark orb in his hand. It soon fired before Ash could give further instructions hitting Hawlucha.

Hawlucha went head first to the ground and had a harder time recovering than Gengar did. "Shadow ball!"

"Hawlucha, use roost." Ash yelled just as I did.

Hawlucha folded its wings in to its chest to rest just as the shadow ball hit him. It was a bad call on Ash's part. "First point!" I bragged and called back Gengar. The next pokeball I kissed again. "Scizor, its your turn."

"Greninja!" The Greninja Ash called out was taller than any I've seen and reminded me much of Oaky.

 _"Come on, Oaky! You can do it!"_

 _"What are you doing, Dearie?"_

 _"I'm training Oaky so he can be the most powerful Greninja in the world!"_

Decidueye gave me a light push so I came back to reality. My pokemon were mostly familiar with what to do whenever I spaced but Scizor was newer to this. Only Decidueye could go into battle and make his own decisions during the battle with total confidence. Gengar and Scizor were still figuring out the best moves for battling each opponent type. Now, Scizor was on the ground, looking at me with pleading eyes while Greninja stood over him.

"Sorry, Scizor, use X-scissor." At close range like this Scizor was able to do a great amount of damage.

"Water Shuriken," Ash commanded.

I hesitated too long. I couldn't battle Greninja. I never had the ability to battle anyone in that evolutionary family. I called back Scizor. "Sorry, bud. I messed up." Finally I turned to Decidueye. "Your turn." Decidueye lowered his head so I could kiss the top of his head and he went into the middle of the field.

"Okay, Pikachu, you ready?"

Pikachu nodded and jumped off of Ash's shoulder.

Decidueye first used the long string-like leaf as a bow and he released a shadowy arrow at Pikachu's shadow. Spirit Shackle was by far his favorite move. Pikachu used an iron tail and Decidueye only blocked with a wing.

Pikachu was about to use a thunderbolt but Decidueye scattered an array of sharp leaves.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Someone was watching me but when I looked around there was nothing. Still, I heard movement but saw that all of the pokemon were starting to gather around. I smiled and met Decidueye's eye. It was time.

I looked at my wrist and remembered when I was given the Z crystal from the Guardian Tapu Koko. I don't know why he had taken such an interest in humans, or maybe he took an interest to my Rowlet.

I got down low to the ground and as I came up, like a ghost with my hands near my face, I jumped forward. Decidueye's Z crystal glowed and wrapped him in light. Ash watched with astonishment. "Decidueye, Sinister arrows!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash tried to quickly counter.

Decidueye flew high into the air and charged back down with an array of arrows. Pikachu's thunderbolt was more powerful than I expected. I shield my eyes from the bright light and when I finally turned back both Decidueye and Pikachu were down.

"Guess it's a tie," Ash laughed while I gave both of our pokemon revives.

"It was a good battle, Ash."

Henry faked a cough to get our attentions. How long had he been watching? "Madam, I've taken the liberty to set up a picnic spot for you and your new friends." He gestured toward the pool of water where there was a dark green blanket and food scattered on it for everyone.

The pokemon nibbled on their food happily but Decidueye sat next to me with alertness. The hairs of my neck still stood up even though the crowd of pokemon had disappeared. Decidueye tilted his head at me.

"Check the parameter," I whispered.

He took off silently into the trees. I couldn't shake off this awful feeling.


	2. Losing Oaky

Pikachu seemed happy and nearly content after he ate, so did the rest of our pokemon. Gengar and Scizor took off into the forest to play with the other pokemon shortly after eating. Knowing Gengar he would teach the ghastly to scare the younger pokemon and Scizor would teach the Scyther how to chase them away.

I leaned back on my hands to watch the sky while the others chatted away about something-I didn't pay much attention to it. The clouds rolled lazily, morphing into different things and pokemon and painting the blue canvas of sky in a never-ending journey of their own.

Something thick and slimy snaked its way around my arm and pulled me toward the water. I didn't have time to scream before the sky was underwater as well. The astonished faces of Ash and his friends circled around the pool.

I turned to see a greninja and a diver I've never seen before. He had bright, unnatural red hair and the insignia was of a flaming F on the front of his diver's suit. I tried to punch at the tongue but the water slowed down my hand. I needed air. My lungs burned for air. We were moving quickly and soon we went up to the surface.

I gasped and scrambled desperately on the shore. My lungs felt heavy with the water I accidentally gasped in just before breaking the surface. I coughed and gagged it out.

"Hurry up," the diver was impatient as he ripped off his suit.

I coughed up more of the water and stood too quickly. I nearly fell over but the greninja caught me before I could. Maybe I could make a run for it but as I started to put action into the plan I saw that the greninja still had a tight hold on my wrist. Who were these people?

"The boss said not to push her too hard!" I heard a screechy voice over the man's intercom.

"It isn't my fault. I didn't expect her to lose air so quickly."

My legs felt week and it forced me to sit. _Decidueye, where are you?_ Usually he was right here by my side but now I felt lost, like when I lost Oaky.

In the shadows of the trees I saw a pair of eyes of different color, one bright red and one completely black. The sun was starting to set so I had a hard time making out the shape of a greninja that put a webbed finger to its lips before it disappeared.

"Oaky?" I asked allowed by accident. Didn't Oaky have one completely black eye? Grandma said the egg had been damaged and so he must've been partially blind but he never acted like it.

"What did you say?" The man growled.

I jumped out of my skin. "Nothing."

"The helicopter will be here shortly. Just don't…do anything." He folded his arms.

What was there that I could do? Run? It took all my energy not to laugh.

 _Decidueye…where are you?_

The man's greninja flew forward and dragged me with it. I screamed briefly before it stopped. By the marking's in its back I suspected it was hit with a shadow ball. The man ran to be by his partner's side. "What happened?"

"How should I know?"

The tongue was loose enough now. Now I could run.

I stood and ran toward where I saw the greninja, into the shadows of the trees. The sounds of a pokemon battle followed me into the darkness until I bumped into a shadow. It grabbed me with webbed hands and I immediately fought against it.

"Let go!" I yelled.

It pinned me to a tree and I couldn't move. I stared into the black and red eyes of the greninja I saw hiding in the shadows. Around its neck was a very thin metal chain that had a blue marble-looking stone. My body immediately relaxed. Maybe this wasn't Oaky but the thought that maybe it was made me feel safe.

It let me go.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Greninja tilted its head one way then the other, as if listening for something. Then it disappeared.

"Oaky, wait!" I yelled out his name with the hopes that he would come back.

"Alice!" Ash's voice echoed and a fire came into view. He had several fire pokemon surrounding him along with his greninja and his friends. "You're okay! What happened?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

* * *

Rain was unexpected in today's weather even nurse Joy was shocked at how quickly it came. "Stay here until the rain passes," she insisted and turned back to the officer beside her.

"Anyway, they had more activity recently," Officer Jenny continued her story.

"So, who are they?"

I sat on the couches as close to them as I could be.

"Just a band of pokemon, I guess. They're kind of like Kanto's Squirtle Squad except they didn't start out as a band of criminals. They're vigilantes. Supposedly, they've been hanging round Paradise Ranch for a while now. I don't know why, though. They've always been in the cities where they're needed most."

Nurse Joy tapped her chin in thought. "Well, you know I overheard a Greninja is run by that group."

Officer Jenny nodded with a questioning look.

"You know, the Froakie that's been lost for ten years? If that's the one then there is a connection. It's waiting for its lost trainer to come home."

Officer Jenny shook his head. "It's unlikely, Joy. Even you know that there are plenty of pokemon with his unique features and…even if you're right he probably doesn't remember its trainer."

My heart dropped to the floor.

"You're right," Nurse Joy sounded sad and then sighed.

"Hey, are you alright?" Bonnie's touch was cold and made me flinch. I nodded but she wasn't convinced. "Hey I know." Dedenne came from a satchel she kept on her person. She picked up the cute mouse-type pokemon and presented him to me. "Dedenne can cheer you up!"

Dedenne was cute but his smile didn't look nearly as mischievous as Oaky's. "I'm fine, I promise." It wasn't nearly as convincing as it could've been but I didn't need it to be. I needed to be fine.

"So, if you come from Alola," Clemont cleaned the rain water off his glasses and held it up in the light, "then what did you come to Kalos for?"

I sighed and leaned against Decidueye. "Well, I actually come from here. I came to find my friend Oaky. I lost him a long time ago when we were attacked."

Everyone stared at me. "Who's Oaky?" Ash asked finally.

"He was a froakie. I got him when I was four and for some reason I always dropped my F's so Froakie became Oaky over time." I picked at the dirt underneath my fingernails and looked out the window, at the rain. "There's a cliff behind grandma's house and we were playing too close to it. We used to get threats from all sorts of people because of how much money we have but this time we really were attacked. It was a small gang of people with ghost and dark-type pokemon and instead of attacking the house they saw us and decided to kidnap me instead. Oaky was thrown off the cliff when he attacked a Dusknoir. We were never able to find him."

The clouds started to part and allowed the moon to shine through.

"Shortly after that my parents and I moved to Alola," I stood. "And ten years passed."

Everyone else stood too. "I'm so sorry," Serena whispered.

I shrugged. "I came back to track him down…but…I don't know if he's even a wild pokemon or if he's on his own adventure. You just…never know."

We walked outside in silence. I turned to them. "You all should stay here for the night. Hopefully we all meet each other again soon. Decidueye, you should stay here with them and I'll be back for you soon. No, don't give me that look! I'll be fine I just need to be alone."

Decidueye gave me a sad look but I turned away quickly before I could change my mind and ran back to Paradise Ranch. I needed to see that greninja again.

Every pokemon except for the ghost-type were asleep. I stopped to ask a ghastly if he's seen a greninja with only one red eye and one black one but it didn't see anyone. I brought out Gengar to help me in my search. However, we came up with nothing. An hours search led to nothing.

"Maybe it wasn't Oaky after all," I sighed as Gengar and I hung out in a tree. Gengar looked a little sad so I smiled. "Do you remember how we met, Gengar? I think about it all the time."

Gengar was part of a gang of ghost-type and dark-type pokemon. In his gang were a ghastly, houndoom, honedge, and chandelure. In Alola they attacked and played pranks on pokemon trainers in order to steal their backpacks for food. I was the only one who offered my bag outright and used that opportunity to let my then Dartrix attack them from behind. Apparently they had an unspoken rule that if one was defeated by a trainer they would offer itself up as a partner. I think in truth Gengar wanted to come with me to become stronger and our bond only grew from there but he was a very jealous pokemon.

When Dartrix evolved into Decidueye Gengar was the first to attack him and became very sad when he was unable to defeat Decidueye three times. Sometimes he still randomly attacks him and usually Decidueye only dodges until he becomes bored enough to defeat Gengar again.

Gengar smiled.

I smiled and hugged him. "I know I haven't been very good with our bonding recently but just hang in there." I patted his head. "Hey, after we travel through Kalos lets go back to Alola so you can show off to your friends how strong you've become." I poked his belly and he laughed and nodded. Gengar was probably the best pokemon any trainer could've wanted even with his mischievous attitude.

I grabbed a leaf and blew into it the sad tune. Gengar closed his eyes as if to listen better. I looked up at the moon and the song came to a slow end. The wind carried the tune back to me and when I squinted I saw at the top of a distant tree was a pokemon that looked a bit like greninja but I didn't go after it, I closed my eyes and listened to the tune being played back at me.

"Ready to go?" I asked Gengar finally and he nodded. It was time to go.


	3. Band of Heros

I met Ash and his friends outside of Anistar city the next morning. Decidueye was easy to spot and he brushed off some imaginary dust when I approached. "Good, you made it!" Ash grinned.

"Yeah, you didn't believe me?" We started walking down the road.

"I was just worried you wouldn't. You left pretty upset last night."

"Well, I'm much better now." I smiled but convinced no one. "Really guys, I'm fine. Gengar and I had nice talk and I felt much better afterwards. Then I just stayed in a hotel in Anistar City."

"What about the attack?" Serena asked.

"I don't know what they wanted. Maybe money. Most people want money." We walked down the road a few miles with nothing to listen to but the breeze and the peliper flying overhead.

"So, I take it you're rich but then who are your parents?" Clemont was very observant for a kid.

I sighed and whispered, "My family is The Nato family."

Clemont stopped in his tracks.

I stopped. "What?"

"Well…it's just…" He fiddled with his glasses, the sun's beams bounced right off of them. "You are aware of your family's line of work, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"And you don't think that is just…a little bit inhumane?"

Serena and Ash finally stopped and came closer to listen in.

"It isn't like we're letting them grow in tubes, Clemont. We're simply testing out a theory. The results have been inconclusive and non of the subjects survived longer than five minutes, hardly long enough to start developing any comprehension of pain." He opened his mouth to speak but I continued over him, "Do you know how many people we could've helped with this research?"

"And how many lives could be ruined." He finished and walked ahead.

Ash and Serena stared at each other. I ran to catch up with him, barely hearing Bonnie half explain. "Clemont, that's my great grandfather's research. My father's research is much different."

"Explain." He didn't even look at me…

"My father has been trying to develop ways for us to become immune to diseases that pokemon aren't prone to. And, we're trying to help people who would be prone to birth with either no limbs or no functions of the limbs. But his research still hasn't held up enough proof that our DNAs are compatible. My great grandfather's research was based on the sick theory that we could fight in pokemon battles if we had pokemon abilities. That research has been in a dead end for two generations."

"So then announce that the research is a failure."

"I would like to, Clemont, but…that isn't my call. I'm not a scientist. I run the organization to help families find their lost pokemon. What happens in science is my parent's domain." But he still didn't look at me. I slowed down my pace to take up the back of the group with Decidueye.

The rest of the group chatted happily among themselves. I was an outsider that joined their group unnecessarily. "Should we part ways soon?" I asked Decidueye but he had no answers for me.

Near lunchtime, we stopped. Ash thought this was the best time to train. Clemont helped Ash train and Bonnie helped Serena make lunch. I sat a little away from the group, tracing patterns in the grass.

I sighed. There was no way I could get Clemont to see the bigger picture and there was no way he was going to like having me around. I stood and walked to Serena and Bonnie. "I don't have time to wait with you guys so I'll catch you later, okay?"

Bonnie stopped me. "Is this because my brother was being mean?"

"No," I half lied, "I just need to get to the next town and begin searching for Oaky. I need to get ahead if him if I can. So, I'll probably see you in the next town." I pat her head.

"Alice," Serena started but I walked away quickly. The look on her face told me she wanted to console me and I didn't have time for that.

Ninja Village was a village I'd only been to a few times before. All of my parent's friends had been here, before we moved. Maybe they could help me figure out how to track a greninja.

The village was just as I remembered it. Nobody recognized me and I didn't recognize anybody either. "I feel a bit out of place here," I admitted to Decidueye until I saw someone I recognized.

I smiled and ran to him. "Gramps!" His name wasn't really gramps and he was in no way related to me or my family. It was a nickname I gave to him long ago because I felt embarrassed about forgetting his name. I still don't remember it.

The old man stopped his fieldwork to turn and look at me. "Do I know you?"

"Gramps, its me, Alessandra."

It took a moment for the realization to come across his face. "Alessandra, why, I haven't seen you in ages."

"We moved to Alola." I followed him to his home.

"Whatever for?" He put the hoe against the wall.

I explained to him everything as we sat outside his home. He nodded solemnly. "So, I need your help. How do you track down a greninja?"

"That would take years of training and it doesn't sound like you have the time and I know you do not have the energy. So, there is nothing you can do except luck being at your side."

I frowned and looked down at my hands. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Now, if you were to leave a young pokemon here then it would take a few years…"

"No, that's okay." I forced a smile.

Some kids ran out of one of the homes, squealing, "They're back," as they ran toward the entrance.

"You should stay the night. There will be a wonderful celebration in our heroes honor."

"Heroes?" I tilted my head.

Pokemon started to come into view.

"Yes, they go around rescuing people and pokemon from Team Flare and other evil people. It appears the group has been more and more active recently. What they're trying to find I am not sure. Sometimes, though, they come back. It's a group only comprised of three pokemon: Weavile, Pawniard, and our very own Greninja."

The three pokemon slowly came into view. The children obviously adored Greninja over the other two, though Weavile and Pawniard had a few fans of their own. Greninja had two children, one on each shoulder, and happily carried them back to their home. He had one black eye and one red eye, like the Greninja I saw the other day. I quickly turned away when it looked over at us.

"Greninja, it's good to see you back. The children have all missed you," Gramps greeted. I didn't see what Greninja was doing. I watched the wind ruffle Decidueye's feathers and I looked up to try to see a reflection in his eyes but I didn't see any but my own. "She's just a guest, nothing to concern yourself with. Go play with the children. I'm sure they'll want to play hide and seek with you." I listened to Greninja walking away. "He has the saddest story. Lost his trainer and we couldn't find his home. He had wandered for days before I found him."

I watched Greninja's back as he ran ahead of the kids that chased him.

"And he wouldn't wake up for another few days. When he couldn't remember the route he took from his home he made a home here with Weavile and Pawniard. The three have become inseparable since."

I was hoping it sounded like Oaky's story but even if it was did he still even remember me? I was afraid to know the answer.

* * *

The celebrations held were loud and bright with music and fireworks. Decidueye and I decided to stay among the shadows with Gengar and Scizor, away from the party. Gengar loved to play in the shadows, Decidueye and Scizor slept, and I kept watch for them.

Gengar had fun scaring kids who came too far away from the party. I was jealous of his carefree attitude.

The songs were loud and lively and happy, a commodity I simply couldn't afford but now that I know where Oaky is…could I move on? Oaky was my first and very best friend. Thinking of him kept me going but where did that leave my new friends, the ones who stuck by me in the hard times and in the good ones? Decidueye was the one who rescued me from the Drilbur attack. In Joto, Scizor protected me from the hyper beam of a pokemon whose trainer was upset that I caught the Scyther he released earlier that day. And Gengar, I saved him many times and we were still teaching him to be brave. If I didn't move on…what would happen to my relationship with them?

The music died down enough that I could hear the tune I used to play for Oaky riding on the wind. I stood quickly and followed it, not knowing Gengar was close behind me. There, near the entrance, Greninja sat with his back turned to me. I hid in the bushes, hoping he couldn't hear. He continued to play and even it sounded as sad as my tune had become.

As Greninja finished the song I stood and stepped forward. Greninja turned to me, briefly acknowledging my presence before turning away. I felt as if I had been rejected but can you really be rejected when they don't remember you? Did he even remember me?

"I wanted to thank you for rescuing me the other day." He still didn't turn around so I sat by him. "I noticed you have one black eye. I used to know a pokemon who had that same trait." I could see Greninja's eyes slowly look at me without turning his head. "Yeah, his name was Oaky," I looked up at the stars but tried to keep a watch on him. "He was my best friend."

Greninja finally turned to me and it sounded like he was asking me a question.

"I don't know where he is now. Ten years ago, he fell off a cliff and I haven't been able to find him and now I live in Alola so this is the first time I've begun really looking for him."

Greninja tilted his head to look at the stars with me. A comet flew by, and then another, and soon they lit the sky.

"Wow that's really-" I turned to look at him but he was gone. He didn't even make a sound. I bit my lip as it quivered. No, maybe he didn't remember me but at least he remembered my song.

Gengar came out of the shadows and put a hand on my shoulder. I turned and hugged him, trying hard not to cry but the tears fell on him anyway. "I'm sorry, Gengar," I finally breathed out. "I haven't been fair to you three. Tomorrow, we'll explore Kalos a bit more…we'll have a real adventure."

I felt Gengar relax. He liked the sound of that. At the same time he tried his best to console me with a very out of tune lullaby.


	4. Friendly battle and unfriendly people

"You're leaving already? What about finding your Greninja?" Gramps was very shocked at how soon I was leaving.

"It's been 10 years. There isn't much of a chance Oaky remembers me even if I do find him so Decidueye and I decided the best thing to do is to travel Kalos a bit more before going home." Decidueye nodded as if his acknowledgment in the plan was somehow confirmation of the truth.

"Well, you all have a good adventure." Next to gramps was Greninja standing with his arms folded, not a care in the world. Weavile and Pawniard stood just behind Greninja, whispering something between each other.

"We will, gramps. Don't worry, I'll come visit soon." I turned away and walked out of the small village's secret entrance. Decidueye made cooing sounds at me. "I know, I know," I sighed. "But…I don't think he remembers me so…let's just drop it and explore the world for once."

The sun coming up was bright and only getting brighter. It was lighting the cave on both ends. It's fingers touched every tree, every leaf, and every dew sparkled in its brilliance. I smiled and took only a step outside on the other side of the cave when the world around me spun upside down and I stared down at Decidueye with my leg wrapped in a vine from a grass pokemon.

"Decidueye!" I screamed. A purple powder surrounded my vision. _Sleep powder?_ It was too late now. Now I'd breathed in too much of it and my body felt limp and everything went dark.

* * *

 _I played with Oaky by the river. We were having so much fun! I followed him across by hopping some rocks but slipped and the water rushed around me. "Oaky!" I tried to scream but the water rushed into my lungs instead. I almost died…_

I woke near a river, the noon sun shining in my face. I rolled onto my stomach and my head pounded like a little drummer decided my skull was a great drum. A groan escaped my lungs and my hands searched my pockets for the pokeballs that weren't there.

Feet stopped in front of me. I looked up slowly at Weavile. It helped me up slowly to my feet. "Did you save me?"

Weavile nodded.

"Thanks." I looked around but didn't see my pokemon. "Where are we?"

Weavile chattered but it didn't make any sense to me. I tilted my head and it sighed and gestured for me to follow. I followed it blindly deep into the forest until, finally, it took me to a cave. "Weavile, this isn't-" but it didn't listen to me. It moved a rock and dug into a hole under the rock until it produced a mega stone-a multicolored stone with a marble-like imprinting-attached to a chain. It came over and handed the mega stone to me, and chatted away. Slowly I began to understand and I knelt down.

"Are you telling me about your friend, Greninja?"

Weavile nodded.

"But a mega stone only works if there's a strong bond between a pokemon and a human and Greninja…" I let my voice trail away not wanting to say the rest of it. Weavile chatted away, telling me something to the extent of that I had come back after ten years so there must be some connection. He was hoping that if he convinced Greninja to come with me he could get stronger. "Will he even come with me?"

Weavile shrugged and walked out of the cave. I followed him out and we slowly made our way back to the village. "Weavile, what happened while I was knocked out?" I asked. "Who was it that attacked me?"

The pokemon shrugged and stopped to carve out an F into the tree. I'd seen it before with the first one. "What do they want? I wish I knew."

* * *

Weavile spoke to Greninja when we got back, the two got into a pretty heated argument. I sat with Pawniard and Decidueye on a boulder, waiting for the two to be done. Decidueye had filled me in a lot better on what happened. I was caught by a bellsprout and it used sleep powder. Shortly after they attempted to run, knocking off the pokeballs attached to my belt. Decidueye caught the pokeballs but lost the trail.

"Sorry for worrying you," I told him.

He huffed and gave me a glaring look.

"Don't give me that look! How was I supposed to know someone would be after me? I don't even know what they could want with me."

Pawniard looked nervous. I dug around in my backpack and pulled out a black poke bean and presented it to him. "Here, don't look so nervous." What was it he would be so nervous about? Pawniard was obviously the youngest and newest member of this team based on his lack of confidence and his quiet attitude.

Pawniard stared at the bean and then took it in his hands and nibbled on it. The other pokemon stopped their quarreling and approached. Greninja didn't look too happy. Weavile chatted happily, however. He must've won the argument.

"I might have one empty-" I reached into my backpack for the pokeball but Greninja took my backpack away from me. "Hey! If you didn't want a pokeball you could've just said something!"

Greninja stuck up its nose and walked away, throwing the backpack over his shoulder but still keeping a loose grip on the straps.

I sighed and looked at Decidueye, "He's gonna be a handful," I hesitated reaching for his pokeball. Decidueye nodded in understanding and actually allowed himself to be in his pokeball while I caught up to Greninja. "Hey, look you don't have to be in a pokeball but someone does have the right to catch you if they wanted."

Greninja wouldn't listen though so I sighed and tried snatching my backpack back from him. He held it higher. "That isn't funny!" He, however, seemed more than amused at watching me jump to get it.

Then, he must've decided to take the game one step further because he jumped into the trees and ran ahead forcing me to run on the ground to try to keep up. "Greninja!" I scolded and he finally stopped in at a tree on the edge of a field that was surrounded by the forest. I panted hard and he searched through my belongings. "Stop that!" I wheezed but he wouldn't listen. "Fine, whatever," I sat under the tree, my lungs burning with the air.

He sounded like he was questioning something in his hand so I looked up and my nose bloomed with pain as something that felt almost like a rock or a brick fell onto face. It was my green backpack. I pushed it to the ground and peered up at him. He held a picture frame. On one of the sides of the frame was the silhouette of Mew and painted on the top and bottoms on the frame in sloppy letters were the words 'Oaky and me' in purple paint.

"Don't break it!" I warned. "In fact give it back! That's really important to me!"

He didn't give it back, though. Instead he opened up the frame and nestled the picture in his hand carefully, as if he were afraid it was as fragile as a snowflake. Greninja stared at the picture of Oaky and me, the day before we were separated. It almost looked like his eyes welled up but it was gone when he came down from the tree and handed the picture back to me. I neatly folded it and shoved the picture in my pocket so that it wouldn't be stolen again. "If you want to become stronger we can't be fighting like this." I said carefully. "So, I want to battle you."

Greninja's eyes widened only slightly. Was this shock or was he pleased? I couldn't tell

"Just you, and Decidueye, okay?"

He shook his head and snatched one of the pokeballs from my belt.

"You want to battle Scizor?"

He nodded.

I admit, I was nervous at the prospect. Scizor was still pretty new and our bond wasn't as strong as mine was with Decidueye or Gengar and if I froze up again like with my battle with Ash then he wouldn't know what to do. However, I nodded. "Fine. Let's do it."

So, this field stood as our battlefield. Scizor was even nervous but upon receiving a red poke bean he seemed happier. Greninja started with a low-level attack, bubble beam.

"Scizor, Iron defense."

Scizor was quick to respond, crossing his arms defensively and his body gleaming as if it were shiny. The shining bubbles seemed to bounce right off of him. Then, its claws radiated a white energy and he slashed the air in front of him as if to shake off the glowing white from his claws. A powerful gust of wind charged at Greninja and cut him at his arms when he lifted his arms to protect himself.

I smiled. I didn't even have to say anything.

Greninja took a deep breath, I prepared for another bubble attack but instead he used smoke screen. I was totally blinded by it. "Scizor, stay sharp. When you see him use hyper beam!"

I never got any sign that he heard. The smoke was so thick that my eyes started to burn. I rubbed them as if that were enough to keep them from burning.

Scizor cried out in pain and I snapped my eyes open, the smoke started to clear but Scizor was at my feet. Scizor was defeated so easily in battle against Greninja. Did he choose a low level pokemon on purpose? He snatched Scizor's pokeball so quickly and he was so sure of the battle that I couldn't help but wonder if he simply wanted to meet him but he'd never seen Scizor in battle nor met the pokemon. Unless he saw mine and Ash's battle but I shook the thought aside. Maybe he did choose a low level pokemon on purpose but maybe he didn't.

I sprayed ointments all over Scizor's scratches. He grimaced but put up with it for the most part. "That was a great battle," I assured the bug pokemon, as he wouldn't look at me as I tended to him.

Greninja stood off to the side, looking less than impressed by our strength and skill in battle.

"You should be more confidant in yourself. You're very strong." This brought a small smile to his face very briefly but something else made him alert. Whatever it was caught Greninja's attention as well. "What is it?"

Greninja gave me no answer. He was well off into the woods before I got an answer. Scizor was close behind. I growled and brought out Decidueye. "Follow them. I'll be right behind."

Decidueye led the way, stopping briefly to allow me to catch up before running ahead again as we ran deeper and deeper into the forest. The air snapped as if something was closing and pain welled in my left leg. Decidueye caught me before my face could hit the ground. My leg was caught in a very sharp pokemon trap. Being as light as he was, Decidueye never set off the trigger.

I whimpered and lowered myself to sit and tried with no luck to pry open the mouth. "You'll have to go get help." I looked up at Decidueye, trying to blink away the tears when I saw his face. He looked so scared. He's never been scared in his life! Not even as a Rowlet! Without my calling Gengar came out of the pokeball and immediately tried to calm the situation.

What was it like for pokemon in pokeballs? Could they hear everything we said? They must've because Gengar reassured Decidueye that he would take care of me. This reminded me of the first time they worked together to save me. We got lost in a fog and I was attacked by some feral pokemon. My injuries only got worse when the two couldn't work together and it wasn't until I was close to unconscious that the two were able to put aside whatever it was that they hated about each other to save me and themselves.

After a while Decidueye reluctantly followed his way back to where we came from. When he was out of sight I allowed the tears to shed. My whole leg felt fiery and numb. Blood poured down from the wounds. How could someone be so stupid and careless as to leave a trap lying around! Then again, it was possibly a pokemon hunter and more probable was that he or she left it on the ground on purpose.

Gengar tried next to open the trap but it wouldn't budge either. I whimpered with each attempt. "Stop, we're making the bleeding worse." I looked down at my bloodied leg. "It's okay…we'll be okay…" I was mostly trying to reassure myself. To be honest, I was just as scared as Decidueye was.

I looked to the west behind me only to see the sun was setting. We would be okay…wouldn't we?

Gengar used the tree's shadows and a five-mile radius to try and find Greninja and Scizor but came back with nothing. The moon soon floated in the dark sky, surrounded by the stars that paled in light in comparison to their bigger friend. Slowly, I lay down, careful not to move my leg too much.

"Oi, I tink we caught somethin'!" I heard a voice yell out.

"Quick, Gengar, hide." I whispered and called him back to his pokeball before a flashlight was shined in my face.

"It's just a girl!" One of the three shadowy figures yelled and turned to her bigger companion. "What should we do with 'er?"

"What else can we do but let 'er go?" The bigger figure snapped.

"Well we can't jus' let 'er go. She'll tell everyone." This one was another male. I could barely make out the tattoos on their arm but I did recognize that they must be pokemon hunters.

My leg turned in a funny direction that made the pain worse and worse and I whimpered. Everything was becoming a blur. What would I do?

"We 'ave to get 'er help!" The bigger figure snapped. "Now open that trap! It was intended for bigger pokemon like Volcanian."

The other two finally gave in and opened the sharp trap. I still couldn't see their faces. As soon as it was opened one of them was blown back by a razor wind. Was it Scizor?

The other one reached for a pokeball but pulled back its wrist from a bunch of water shuriken hitting his hand. Greninja appeared in my line of sight shortly after to kick away the man.

Scizor checked on my leg with a worrisome look until Greninja snapped something at him that I couldn't comprehend because my mind became a fuzzy jumble of pieces. Whatever happened I couldn't tell. I only knew one thing, my leg hurt and I was slowly losing consciousness.


	5. Team Flare

"I see…" I briefly heard. "…So then she was the one who got hurt because of that." My eyes felt heavy like lead or iron so I couldn't open my eyes. The next thing I heard was, "Her wounds were extensive. Just let her rest. I'm sure she'll wake up in the next few hours."

I opened my eyes to the sunrise. The room was lit up in oranges and pinks and I found that it was small and I was alone. The kitchen, the bedroom, and the dining area, and the family room, were all visible. This house was more like an apartment.

My backpack was in the dining area next to the bed. Slowly I sat up so I wouldn't make myself dizzy.

The door clicked open and shut and allowed in a Mienshao. Seeing me awake he smiled brightly and put her hands together.

"Hello. Did you save me?" I whispered as I tried to stand. Mienshao pushed me back on the bed. "Where are my pokemon?" I patted myself down and found only one pokeball and it turned out to be empty.

Mienshao pointed out the door and walked across the room back to the door and stuck his head out. Between Greninja and Decidueye it sounded like a stampede. Gengar was practically running for his life to get inside with Scizor right behind and practically pushing him out of the way. They tried to close the door but Greninja and Decidueye bulldozed them over and ran straight to me, chatting over each other and getting angry with the other for their questions.

I laughed. "I'm fine. I feel fine, anyway."

A man laughed and I turned my attention to him. He had bright orange hair and skin tanner than mine by a shade or two. "They've been worried about you," he took up my backpack and searched around in the tiny side pocket until he produced three more pokeballs and handed them to me.

"Thanks," I only called back Gengar and Scizor. "I'll reassure these two later. So, who are you so I can thank you properly?"

"My name is Lysandre."

"I'm Alessandra Nato. Thank you, Lysandre."

Lysandre tapped his chin. "Nato. Yes, your family is very famous, aren't they?"

"They are very controversial," I corrected politely. "I take it you aren't a fan either?"

"On the contrary I have some friends who are very big fans." Something about the way he said 'fans' made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I wasn't the only one who felt uneasy. Greninja and Decidueye stood between us as he approached. "Would you care to meet them? They'd certainly love to show you their works."

I looked at Greninja for an answer but all he gave me was an uneasy look. "I'm sorry but I must be going," I stood but Mienshao stood at our only exit, now looking a bit more menacing than before. His friendly attitude was gone.

"Please don't make this any harder than it has to be. I even gave you all of your pokemon and kept them from harm. If you truly want to thank me you'll come with me without a fight. I promise that nothing will happen to you or your pokemon if you do."

The room felt like it would close in around me at any given moment. I felt like I was tasked with an impossible decision. "Fine, I'll go. But, Greninja doesn't leave my side." I grabbed Greninja's webbed hand as if I were afraid he'd suddenly disappear.

"That's just fine with me."

I looked at Decidueye. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind." I held out the pokeball and called him back. The last look he gave was of hurt and a bit of anger.

* * *

I didn't pay attention to where we were going. I also didn't let go of Greninja's hand or my backpack the entire ride over to his lab. We didn't speak to each other or to Lysandre, who didn't seem to mind either way.

Four girls with futuristic visors on their eyes like futuristic glasses waited outside. Each of them greeted Lysandre but didn't acknowledge me. Greninja kept close to my side, so I probably didn't even need to continue to hold his hand but I did anyway.

The long hallway ended with a bigger man in front of the door. "You must be Alessandra Nato. My name is Xerosic, one of Team Flare's scientists."

I only stared at him with a hateful look. Greninja beside me didn't feel as stiff as I must've felt. He seemed calm and relaxed. I wished I could have his cool attitude.

"The other four girls behind you are, also, Team Flare's scientists," he continued slowly but seeing my disinterest he didn't bother with their names, "I think you'll find this very interesting and I would like your opinion. But I must warn you, the sight is not for the faint of heart."

I thought he was joking when he said that but when he opened the door and turned on the lights I realized it was no joke. Inside cages were pokemon in human flesh and human in pokemon flesh. Some of them had eyes that were way too big. Others were bleeding from their backs where the flower of ivysaur or venusaur had broken through. Others had rat-like skulls that shaped their heads. Some of them had blue, green, red, even yellow colored flesh tones. Their eyes were all of varying colors that no human or pokemon should have and it made me sick. Some of them were tall like humans and others had short or no limbs, forcing them to walk like a pokemon. One thing every one of these experiments had in common was that they were all groaning in pain.

I covered my mouth with my hand as if I could hold in the bile that burned my throat. My breathing stopped completely and all I heard for a moment was the beating of my own heart and the groaning of all of these unfortunate souls. Greninja was equally as horrified. I gulped down the bile.

"Shocked that I've come so far? It isn't easy, that's for sure, but I think I've made excellent progress over the years. We wanted to know what pokemon thought and teaching pokemon the human language, for the most part, has been disastrous. Only one out of every thousand have the ability to learn it. So, we thought, if we can't teach pokemon to talk we'll make some that can talk. They can help us with our cause-"

"And you're putting them in a lot of pain," I whispered. Anger rose instead of bile. "You idiot! Haven't you read anything my father and grandfather published?"

Xerosic adjusted his glasses. "Well yes…"

"Then you should know that pokemon DNA and ours are incompatible."

"Ah, and I disagree." He went to the middle of the room where a huge master console stood and he pressed some button that lit up a tube, which connected to the computer. Inside was the preserved body of a baby girl. "You see, we believe that more human-like pokemon, like Gengar or Gardevoir, have DNA structures closer to ours. However, we won't know that until she's nine months. We did have some success with a bulbasaur DNA but…well, lets just say the evolution was a bit harsh on the human body."

I had to turn away. "All of these…these…" what were they? Were they human? Were they pokemon? They were all in so much pain. This isn't living! Now I started to understand Clemont's fears.

"All I need to know is what to do to make them all livable."

"You want to know?" I chose my words carefully while I stared at Greninja's chest but not really seeing it. I was seeing my carefully chosen answers and every answer I wanted to give him that I would never say to his face. "You really want to know?" The energy of curiosity was radiating off of him. "You need to…you need to leave alone the creation of other beings, this isn't your domain this is Arceus' domain. Next, let all of these beings die. They are all in pain and the only one who has the power to meddle with life or death is Xerneas and Yveltal."

Xerosic chuckled. What was he chuckling for? "Xerneas, huh? Very well. I wonder if I can merge its DNA with ours then."

 _Good luck finding it,_ I thought bitterly. "Then you don't need me anymore, do you?"

"Maybe not now," Lysandre finally spoke up by the door. He was standing with the women that greeted him. "But we can't just let you walk out either."

Greninja stood in front of me defensively. Lysandre called out his pokemon, as did the rest of the scientists. We were surrounded by a mienshao, druddigon, bisharp, manectric, houndoom, and a malamar. "We won't get out of this unscathed," I warned Greninja. "Are you sure you wanna fight?"

He nodded, the adrenaline rush for battle twinkled brightly in his eyes, and he waited for my command.

"Well?" Lysandre was waiting for a command from me, expecting I'd tell my pokemon to back off.

"Decidueye, we need your help for this one!" Decidueye was pleased to finally be out of the ball. "Spirit shackle!"

Decidueye raised its leaf-string and shot an arrow at manectric's shadow. Greninja used his water shuriken to cut down bisharp. The two were an excellent team! I couldn't believe at how powerful Greninja was and I realized the power Decidueye had as well. Each attack was like a beautiful dance and the two worked together to bring down the dragon-type pokemon, druddigon, as well. While the two harmoniously battled I ran to the computer, tapping the keys rhythmically.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Xerosic scanned the computer before lifting me by my waist. I started to punch his arm. "Stop doing that! You'll ruin everything!"

Gengar popped out of his pokeball unwarranted and made no hesitation on using shadow ball on a human. Xerosic dropped me immediately as he staggered back. "Thanks, Gengar. Cover for me." I went back to tapping at the keys and, finally pulling down the lever at the end. Alarms blared and a warning popped up on the screen that I promptly ignored. Each cage was being opened, and the tube that housed the babe shut down as well. Whatever life support some of these beings were on turned off. I monitored the stats on the screen and the stats that were being monitored quickly dropped, except for the babe in the tube. "Strange," I whispered.

Behind me Gengar was chasing Xerosic and Decidueye and Greninja were becoming tired quickly. I needed to finish this but how?

I told the computer to flush out the tube and open it. This thing would have a birth today, it seemed.

Gengar's body hit my side and we collided with the ground pretty hard. My forehead hit the side of the console that controlled everything in the room. Warm blood trickled down the side of my face as I sat up and checked on Gengar. "Sorry, bud," I whispered after seeing that he didn't fare well and called him back to his pokeball. Decidueye and Greninja surrounded me, ready for another pokemon battle but they were panting relentlessly.

"Let's focus on getting out of here, you two." I stood slowly, gripping Decidueye's shoulder to steady myself. The two looked at each other and agreed on something that was never spoken. "What's going on?" There was a warning to my tone as Greninja picked me up. "Wait, what are you planning?" I struggled against him but it did me no good. An array of leaves whipped up in a storm from Decidueye. I stopped so the leaves wouldn't cut me and I closed my eyes against the storm but when I opened them again Greninja burst out of the doors to the outside world.

"Wait, what about Decidueye!" I tried to go over his shoulder but his hands steadied me on his shoulder. My chest felt hot with anger and I did the only thing I knew to do and hit the back of his head. "Let me go! I need to go back for Decidueye!" I screamed and cried.

Greninja finally let me down when we were deep enough in the forest and then he was forced to bear the wrath my hands let out on him, though he didn't seem to mind until I tried running past him and then he grabbed me around my waist and lifted me. He chatted in my ear calmly.

"Calm down, what do you mean calm down? You left Decidueye!"

While pinning me against him with one arm he used the other one to take out a pokeball from my pocket and open it. From it, Decidueye appeared, tired and looking very annoyed. Greninja finally let me go and I jumped on Decidueye, knocking us both over while I cried in his feathers. "Don't do that to me!" I yelled at him. "I thought we…" My nose was running faster than my tears were but it clumped his feathers the same way. Decidueye didn't move and didn't complain, he simply allowed me to cry for a long time. After a while Greninja helped me up. Decidueye had fallen asleep at some point without me even knowing it. I called him back into the pokeball. Greninja and I walked along the trail leading to the next town until just before dark.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust in you two, Greninja," I said when we stopped walking to set up camp. I wiped my nose with my sleeve. He helped me gather wood for a fire while I tried to get it started. My backpack sat between us like a wall. "I just…didn't want to lose another pokemon. And all I could think about was what would I do without him?" The fire finally started and Greninja piled the wood next to me and sat down. "He's been there with me through everything when I moved to Alola. I hatched him from an egg and I watched him grow and he's become fond of battling. We're…he's my best friend. I can't lose my best friend again."

Greninja sighed and looked up at the sky.

I wiped my eyes. "Do you remember when you were a Froakie?"

He nodded.

"Did you ever have a trainer or have you always been by yourself?"

He didn't answer or acknowledge the question. He snatched my backpack and climbed one of the trees to a branch he knew I couldn't reach.

"Hey! You can't avoid this question forever! I will find out eventually, you know, and when I do…" What could I do? I didn't know. I can't exactly take him away from his friends and his newfound family to be with me, the trainer who hasn't seen him for ten years.

Greninja took out the picture from one of the smaller pockets. "You'll be so dead if you destroy that picture!"

Oh yes, the picture that I shoved in my pocket must've been put back in my backpack when Lysandre helped us. Greninja dropped my backpack from the tree and stared at the picture.

I took out a few pokemon beans and put them in a bowl for him while I ate my sandwich. After a few hours he finally ventured down to check out the pokemon beans and carry them back up. I lay down on the hard dirt floor and hummed to myself. In the tree I heard Greninja whistling with a leaf the tune I hummed. I stopped humming to listen to it and it lulled me to sleep.


	6. Where there is life

Greninja had kept watch all night. When I tried to insist that he rest he wouldn't hear it so, instead, I treated his wounds while we walked. He kept fidgeting and it only made me yell at him.

"Look, if you don't at least let me take care of the bigger cuts they could get infected!"

He folded his arms. I sprayed the ointment on a cut and he flinched again and tried to cover up the cut but I slapped his hand away until I could wrap it. He stopped unexpectedly.

"What is it?" I asked as he turned around. I turned to see he was looking at Ash and his friends. Clemont was less than pleased to see me, which I didn't mind because I was less than pleased to see him.

"Hey, it's Alice!" Ash yelled and waved at me. As he approached I felt Greninja become uncomfortable beside me. "Where's Decidueye?"

"Resting. The five of us sort of got into a bit of a tight spot last night."

"Five?" Ash looked up at Greninja. "Oh, is this Oaky? Pleased to meet you, Oaky. Alice-"

Greninja turned his back to Ash and gave me a look that said he was ready to get as far away from them as possible.

Ash had a baffled look. I could see in his eyes he was replaying the entire event in his head, trying to figure out where he could've offended but didn't see anything. "Uh…is it something I said?"

I shrugged. "No, Ash, this is not Oaky. This is the Greninja that rescued me in Paradise Ranch. He's…a bit sensitive sometimes. He's just coming along to train." I walked beside Ash while Clemont and Greninja walked behind us. "Are you headed for Lumoise city?"

Ash shook his head. "Nope. I'm off to the Elite four!"

I nodded. "Good for you! You should come to Alola next now that we've finally established an Elite Four and after that you should battle the Guardian pokemon. They're just as challenging."

Ash tilted his head.

"The Guardian pokemon protect the islands of Alola. Each island has one. We battle at specific locations in a tribute to them and, although it rarely happens, if they find favor with us they may just come down to battle us after we defeat the island Kahuna."

"So what are you still doing in Kalos if you already found your Greninja," Clemont asked with a poisonous tone.

"I never said I found him, for one thing. And secondly, you know how I said I got into sticky situation last night? Well, I'm trying to make sure it doesn't happen anymore. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to go about it." I briefly explained what had happened, Clemont had a smug smile the entire time. "I don't need to hear an 'I told you so' I just want to hear suggestions of how to get that baby out of there. If I can save her-"

"Why would you try?" Clemont challenged.

Sensing my frustration and maybe my want to punch Clemont Greninja between us and stopped everyone from walking. "Because she's more human than you think. She's not in any pain and she isn't deformed either. If I can save her, if I can plead with Xerneas to save her, then I will! Wouldn't you?"

Clemont looked like he had been backed into the corner. I was right!

"Where do you even look for Xerneas?" Bonnie asked.

I scratched my chin. "I hadn't thought of it," I admitted sheepishly. "But how hard could it be?"

"Hard," Clemont said. "They say the only place to find Xerneas is in All-Earth forest, which is near Avignon Town."

"Then that's where we'll start our search," I looked at Greninja. "Avignon Town. We need to find Xerneas and see if it'll help us."

Greninja had a doubtful look but nonetheless nodded. We parted ways with Ash once again but Clemont still wouldn't say goodbye to me.


	7. Just say so

The stars in the sky danced happily and the moon waned but only a little bit. The fire crackled and tried to reach the sky. It licked the air and embers bounced off its fiery arms.

Greninja was on the ground for once, lying on the other side of the fire, staring up at the sky with me. I lay on my bright green sleeping bag, enjoying the quiet the night had to offer. I offered him a sleeping bag but he refused to take it. We were quiet for hours, just watching the sky. Finally, Greninja spoke up, his tone was questioning.

I looked over at him. "You want to know more about Oaky?"

He nodded.

"Well, he was…mischievous to say the least. He used to get us into all sorts of trouble. But I didn't mind one bit. I would've followed him anywhere no matter how dangerous." I stood and plucked a leaf from the lowest hanging branch and sat down on my sleeping bag. "And I taught him some music with a leaf. And he was brave…much braver than I was. If I had been braver then I would've tried to save him and we wouldn't have been separated." In my minds eye I could see his frog-like hand reach out to me but it was met with nothing but a terrified scream. I shook my head and lay down as Greninja asked yet another question. "The song? Well okay." I pressed the leaf to my lips and blew softly, playing the sad and slow music, the song that had become bitter the past years.

When I was done I saw that Greninja was soundly asleep. My lips broke out into a wide smile. "Good night," I whispered.

He turned over in his sleep. I rolled on my left side, so my back face toward Greninja and the fire, and closed my eyes, allowing myself to be pulled into the arms of sleep.

* * *

I rolled up the sleeping bag after breakfast while Greninja lounged by a tree. "Oh hey, Greninja, I've been meaning to ask why you and Scizor took off so quickly a few days ago."

Greninja looked at the grey sky, the thunder rolled in the distance as if warning us to find shelter quickly. He was deep in thought and then seemed to nod at one of his thoughts. I waited patiently with the rolled sleeping bag in my lap until he chatted away. They both sensed something amiss and wanted to investigate but what they found were injured pokemon. They said another pokemon attacked them, a dragon with three heads.

"Sounds like a Heydreigon," I strapped the sleeping to my backpack. "Heydreigon is a dragon pokemon that will challenge anything that moves." I followed Greninja through the forest.

Snapping sounds stopped me in my place. It sounded like a twig followed by a whimpering sound. The whimpering was close by. Even Greninja stopped to listen to the sound and actually looked at me for directions. I was surprised. Without directly giving orders I followed the sound, barely hearing Greninja follow me through the shadows of the trees.

"Use Ember, Torchic!" I heard a young trainer command. He had all of the appearance of someone native to Alola very light brown hair that the sun kissed blonde streaks into, and he had bright blue eyes, and very tan skin. Treecko had burns across his body and he was backed up to the edge of a cliff. I could only imagine the drop below and what lay in wait. The torchic this trainer commanded looked remorseful. "Don't give me that look! Unless you want to end up like Treecko."

Torchic shook its head and used ember on the treecko that could barely stand up. Treecko was hit and sustained even more burns. It whimpered and its body shook but it still stood up and attempted to plead with Torchic.

"One more time should keep him down." The trainer commanded.

Torchic's spirit looked broken completely.

I couldn't stand there anymore. "Greninja, water shuriken against the ember attack!"

Shortly after Torchic spit out the embers Greninja's water shuriken came from the tree next to me and he jumped in front of treecko. The trainer turned around to me. "What's the big idea?"

"What do you mean? That treecko is obviously injured, you should've stopped!"

"So? Why does that concern you? It's my treecko and my torchic. If Treecko hadn't lost for the third time in a row then I wouldn't be doing this. He had one job-"

"Yeah, his job is to help you in battle! To be your friend! Your treecko is weak because you are weak! And now you've backed it against the edge of a cliff."

The trainer looked at Torchic and pointed at me. "Ember," he said simply.

Greninja went to move in front of me but I held up a hand and took the ember at full force. It burned my skin and caught the edge of my shirt. Gengar forced himself out of his pokeball and stood in front of me, on guard.

"Gengar, get out of the way! Help Greninja protect Treecko."

"You're a lousy trainer." The trainer huffed. "You must be if you never fight with your pokemon."

Anger burned my chest and I looked at Gengar. "Second thought, use shadow ball. We'll show him how weak we are."

Gengar was more than happy to but the Treecko that Greninja was protecting stood out in front of the shadow ball. It went over the edge.

"No! Treecko!" I ran to the edge. I could see his tiny hand clutching to the side of the cliff for his life and just as I got close enough to grab him he slipped. I could see Oaky, instead of treecko, falling off the edge. It all happened like a dream in slow motion and without hesitation I jumped off the cliff, held out my hands until I caught treecko, and folded him into my chest. "Scizor, help me out." I called without reaching for the pokeball but it opened nonetheless. From the top of a tree, Scizor caught my shirt with its claw but it ripped and I fell on my butt.

Scizor jumped to the ground and apologized.

"It's okay, Scizor. You did what you needed to do, which was protecting us from the fall. A little one won't hurt." Treecko was unconscious in my arms. "Quick, let's find shelter for now and get this treecko healed. He won't make it to the pokemon center if we try to run straight for it" As if the whether was waiting for a cue the rain started to pour out of nowhere. Scizor was able to quickly find a big tree with a hollow big enough to fit a small human. I had to bend only a little to fit inside.

I put down my backpack. "Scizor, get out my sleeping bag and then the burn heals." I laid Treecko on the sleeping bag once Scizor rolled it out and sprayed the burns with the orange liquid. After that I wrapped the burns in bandages. On the scratches I applied ointments and potions.

Some Zigzagoon and Bunnelby started to trickle in for shelter from the rain. They watched while I worked on Treecko's wounds. When I was done a Kirlia got my attention. In her arms was a very hurt ralts. She put him next to me and backed up before I could reach out to touch her. On her head was a cut. She wasn't the only one injured; as I looked around the hollow I saw a lot of the pokemon were pretty beat up.

I gave Scizor a handful of Oren berries. "Pass these around and get their stories. Find out why they're all hurt," I whispered and then sprayed the potion on the ralt's wounds and laid him next to Treecko. When I turned there were more pokemon presenting their young to me. They all wanted me to heal their children.

I helped a pack of lucario's riolus, some plusle and minun, and a scraggy. Each pokemon I healed I put on the sleeping bag and when it became full I set them against my backpack. Treecko started to wake up when I was gathering ralts in my arms. It had woken and it looked like it felt much better. I set it down and allowed it to run around, showing the other pokemon how great it felt. All of the pokemon greeted it and they yelled in their own version of a cheer.

"Treecko, how are you feeling?" I asked as I extended a hand to help him sit up. He rolled over on his side. "You could've just said you wanted to lay down."

Scizor was making things feel cramped with all the pokemon now but I asked him, "Did they tell you anything?" He informed me that the pokemon were attacked by the same pokemon Greninja described to me this morning. I thanked him and called him back into his pokeball.

The lucario outside held up huge leaves to use as umbrellas. From which tree they came off of I didn't know. Everyone ate the berries happily, though.

I looked at Kirlia and crawled closer with the ointment. "Hey, let me see the cut on your head." I reached out my hand but Kirlia pulled away with a wail, startling the other pokemon. Ralts quickly calmed her down by chatting happily. Reluctantly, Kirlia bowed to offer me the top of her head. "It'll sting, okay?" I applied the ointment with a cotton ball but she held herself against the pain. After the ointment I wrapped it with a bandage. "There, all done."

Kirlia felt the top of her head and happily thanked me and bowed again.

The rain stopped. No sooner did it stop did the pokemon trickle out as their young awoke. I packed up my things and looked at Treecko. "How are you feeling?" I asked again.

Treecko didn't answer still.

"We won't leave until you're ready to go, then." I crawled to the mouth of the hollow and hugged my knees to my chest.

Treecko muttered something under his breath.

"What?"

Treecko repeated himself.

"Well you don't have to come with me but I'm not letting you go back to your trainer either."

Treecko was quiet for a moment and then chatted a question.

"You're right, you aren't my pokemon and not my responsibility but…no pokemon should suffer like you and Torchic. So I'm gonna make sure I get away Torchic too. I would like for you to come with me to save Torchic but…if you'd rather live like a wild pokemon I'm sure Decidueye can find you a treecko herd to mingle with for a while."

He was quiet for a long while I think he was staring at the inside of the tree. Finally, he asked another question.

"You know, I didn't think of failing so…I'll tell you plan B when we cross that bridge." I looked outside for any sign of Greninja or Gengar. Something bumped against me. Treecko had silently rolled up my sleeping bag and was handing it to me. I smiled and attached it to my backpack.

The rain soaked everything in a refreshing way. The pokemon all seemed so energized by it.

Treecko kept a distance much like how Greninja liked to, in the trees. I released Decidueye from his pokeball and asked that he scout ahead in search for Greninja and Gengar. I couldn't have traveled that far from them.

After an hour of walking Decidueye came back to me, shortly behind him were Greninja and Gengar but no sign of the trainer. I frowned. "Where did he go?" I asked them.

Gengar explained that shortly after my fall he left with his Torchic but left with them Treecko's pokeball. It made me angry, so angry that I turned toward a tree and kicked it. How could someone be so…so cruel?

Everyone stared at me. I grabbed the pokeball and threw it at the tree, screaming with all of my frustration. The pokeball opened to show me its empty mouth, nothing but mechanics painted in silver inside. Decidueye put his wings around me, as if to shield me from the prying eyes of the other pokemon.

I took a deep breath and when I exhaled it came out at once, like a puff. I took another one and drew out the exhale this time. "I'm fine now," I whispered and picked up the pokeball, and approached Treecko, who crouched like he was going to run. Instead, I extended the ball toward him. "Here you go. This is yours."

Treecko didn't move.

"You don't have to stay with me. I told you that. The pokeball will automatically release you into the wild but…I can't keep it with me either. So, will you take it or do I have to throw it again?"

Treecko jumped out of the tree, at first I thought he would jump into my arms but instead he pounded my hand with his tail, forcing me to drop the ball and jump back. It felt like a hammer hit my hand! "What was that for?" I demanded.

Treecko scolded me for not keeping my promise and for abandoning Torchic. I opened my mouth to scold back but he went on to say that _he_ wanted to rescue Torchic and for that to happen he needed to become stronger.

"So, are you saying you're accepting my offer?" I rubbed my hand as he nodded. "Then why not say so?" I called him into his pokeball.

Gengar patted my leg as if to remind me he was there. "Hey, Gengar, thank you for staying with Greninja." I pat his head. It chatted sadly. "What is it? Hey, you did great. Don't worry about Treecko, okay? He was just trying to protect his friend."

He still didn't feel any better about it. I called him back into his pokeball and turned to Decidueye and called him into the pokeball as well.


	8. Nurse Joy's Warning

Snowbelle City was just as the name suggested. It was a city full of snow. Nobody really had a need for a jacket in Alola so it didn't occur to me to buy one until the weather became unbearably cold.

While nurse Joy took care of my pokemon and Greninja, I bought a heavy purple jacket from the store next door. By the time I came back my pokemon should've been healed.

Nurse Joy met me at the door, panting, "Greninja and Treecko are-" She never finished, an explosion came from the next room where pokemon should be healing and I heard Greninja and Treecko yelling. Next I heard the distinct sound of leaf storm.

I ran to the next room and saw Greninja and Treecko, injured once again, and Decidueye was scolding them. "What happened?" I asked Nurse Joy, who coward behind me.

"Treecko wouldn't go back into his pokeball and then Greninja said something to upset him. They argued and the next thing I know they were having a battle!"

I sighed with frustration. "They'll be okay walking around, I guess." I knelt down to Treecko, who was turned away with his arms folded. "Hey, what's going on?" I poked at his shoulder.

Treecko wouldn't look at me. Behind me, Greninja watched the TV that was mounted on the wall with little interest. I sighed and rubbed my head. "Okay, well, let's go. We have to get to Avignon town."

The stubborn green pokemon wouldn't move. I shook my head. How would I get him out of here? "Fine, stay here. I won't force you to come with me but I can't come back for you because after Avignon Town I'll be going back on the other side of Kalos and then I'm going home." I stood and walked to the front of the pokemon center. Greninja followed behind me.

I stopped when I heard the door open again and Nurse Joy came running outside with Treecko dodging her legs to get in front of her without tripping her. "You said you were going to Avignon town?" She waited until I nodded. "Be careful. Pokemon have been randomly attacking each other and other people. There have been reports of all sorts of destruction because of it."

I thought of Greninja and Scizor the night I was caught by the pokemon trap. The ghostly whispers of pain shot up through my ankle. I also thought of the other pokemon inside the tree hollow. "I'll be careful, Nurse Joy. Take care." I walked with Greninja. Soon, I felt something clawing up my back and perch on my shoulder. It was Treecko, staring straight ahead of us.

Nurse joy wasn't kidding when she said there was a lot of destruction. Pokemon coward behind whatever was still standing as we approached. Something about all of this didn't sit right with me. Something was happening, my gut told me. Something only the pokemon are aware of.

None of us were really intimidating. Greninja looked the most intimidating, if you ask me. He could've looked like a pirate with the one black eye alone but other than that it was some aura he gave off that made him naturally intimidating. I didn't remember Oaky having that same aura. But, sometimes an evolution can change a pokemon's personality. Some pokemon suddenly become cool and confidant and others who were once clumsy can lose the clumsiness. It was like going through the stages of life that humans slowly go through but a bit more rapidly.

Treecko was alert on my shoulder. Well, he sat on my backpack but his arms rested crossed on my shoulder as if hanging himself from my shoulder.

"Treecko, what is it that you sense?" I whispered. The quietness was eerie and something I almost didn't want to break for fear that I would lose the eeriness and think myself crazy.

Treecko jumped from my shoulder and ran ahead.

"Wait up!" I spoke a bit louder as I followed him. Greninja kept up with us very easily. Treecko continued to sprint forward until we came across badly injured pokemon. Others that were not seriously injured tried to help their injured friends escape. I stopped so as not to frighten them further.

Treecko approached a less frightened pokemon, a snover, and inquired quietly. Greninja stood by me, watching the other pokemon run around, some of them even handed out Oran berries. After he was done speaking to the pokemon he ran back over and I kneeled in front of him.

"What's going on?"

Treecko explained that a pokemon came through demanding to know why the land was dying and claimed that they knew so, when he wasn't given answers, he went on a rampage. The other pokemon could sense it too, the land that they once knew and loved is slowly dying and taking its place is a world that would soon be engulfed in darkness and death.

Where was Xerneas in all of this? Wasn't it the one who gave life to trees and pokemon? More important where was Arceus? Did it decide this world was not worth saving? The wind lifted my fiery red hair into my face. I held it against my neck with my hands. "Where is this pokemon now?"

Treecko pointed to the direction we were already headed in. This pokemon was headed toward All-earth forest as well. "Then let's hurry to Xerneas."


	9. Life of the Forest

The closer to the All-earth forest we got the less destruction there was. It was a beautiful forest and the pokemon here seemed at peace. The sun here was warm, and the rays touched everything in sight. There were no clouds nearby.

Treecko and Greninja traveled through the branches of the trees, leaving me on the ground alone but I didn't mind.

A beam of light stopped all of us in our tracks. It was so close to my face I could feel the heat coming from the hyper beam. It was hottest thing I think I've ever felt in my life! Pokemon in the trees scattered, chatting to each other in worry and surprise. I followed the trail of destruction left by the hyper beam.

A Hydreigon argued with a Noivern, who wasn't backing down from its position. Noivern clung to a branch as if the tree had the capacity to protect it. Whatever was said wasn't good based on the way they chatted and Treecko and Greninja felt it necessary to come in between the two pokemon and attempt to calm them down. I approached slowly, as if I would scare all of them away and never get my answers.

"What's going on?" I finally asked the Noivern when I was close enough. The Noivern pointed an accusing finger at Hydreigon and half barked out the answer in almost a slur that I couldn't understand it. Even Treecko looked confused. "What?" I turned to the rest of the pokemon. "What happened here? What's going on?"

After a while a Gardevoir stepped up. _"Hydreigon's home was destroyed and he wants answers from Xerneas as to what is going on. He wants to know if Yveltal has awakened. But Noivern is preventing Hydreigon from going any further due to the destruction Hydreigon has caused. We've had to take in many pokemon who have lost their homes because of him."_

I looked back at Hydreigon and saw somewhere in his eyes that he looked lost, afraid, and alone. "You've been feeling it too, haven't you? The same thing Treecko and Greninja have been sensing. It's as if the earth is dying."

He bowed his head in a low nod.

I spun around to Noivern. "Do you know where Xerneas is? I need to speak with him. I need his help…and so do other pokemon."

Noivern was reluctant to help.

"You need to take me to him. Forests aren't just being destroyed they're also dying. I need to speak with him and ask him for help."

Finally, Noivern flew ahead. I motioned for Hydreigon to follow and followed Noivern from the ground. In the distance I started to hear waterfalls and the wind seemed to stop completely. There was a type of stillness in this area that made me stop. Everyone else went ahead except for Hydreigon. It stopped and stared at me for a long time while I looked around at the trees and took in the quietness of this part of the forest. The waterfalls were the only things that dared to make a sound.

The snapping of a twig almost sounded like thunder and it startled me, and I turned around to find myself face to face with the guardian of the forest. Xerneas stood tall with antlers like a tree. Parts of its antlers were glowing a calm blue. I couldn't hear myself breath anymore, only my heart beat in my ears while I took in the majestic creature before me.

Hydreigon bowed all three of its heads and I realized that I should be doing the same, rather than standing with mouth gaped like an idiot. Finally, I bowed my head. Xerneas bowed its head in greeting to us. Pokemon were such interesting creatures! They have their own values, communication, and politeness just like people and the rarely seen pokemon like Xerneas were even more interesting!

 _"You two have traveled a long way from home,"_ I was taken aback at Xerneas' ability to use telepathy. I never knew that it had that ability.

Hydreigon spoke up while I was stunned into silence, explaining about its home. Xerneas listened intently until the entire story was finished. Then it turned to me and I realized it was waiting for my explanation.

"Team Flare has been experimenting on cells of humans and pokemon and I think they may have actually created something. Something that shouldn't exist called a chimera. But the baby may not survive for long, not if the cells of both species are essentially self-destructing cells. She won't be in pain but she will eventually die if this happens. She needs your help."

Xerneas bowed its head in a low nod. _"Your home has been dying. Diseased trees roam your lands. Yveltal has not even stirred, so I will go with you to investigate further. However, I have heard that you have destroyed other pokemon's homes as well."_

Hydreigon nervously rubbed the two heads on its arms together.

 _"You will make up for what you've done on the way to your home."_ Xerneas looked at me. _"I have heard rumors of these experiments but not just among Team Flare."_ I felt myself flinch. I knew what it was getting at it was talking about my family. _"I am sorry but there is nothing that can be done, not from me. This creature you call Chimera should not exist and so I will not try to call upon Arceus to intervene either."_

"So, you can't do anything?" I could feel my heart drop to the bottom of my stomach.

Xerneas nodded.

"And you won't do anything?"

Again, Xerneas nodded.

Never before have I ever wanted to hurt a pokemon so badly. As if it could read my mind Xerneas suggested to Hydreigon that they leave now. They left me alone, in the middle of a quiet forest, with a cloud of disappointment hanging over me.

I wanted to scream but it felt wrong to break the quietness of the forest so, instead, I fled to Avignon town, without thinking about Greninja and Treecko.

* * *

Once in Avignon town I felt lost and when I feel lost I call my parents at their research lab located in the Kanto region. It must've been a bad time but they insisted on talking to me anyway despite the alarms and the people running around, their uniforms all the same; black pants and white shirts with a big letter "R" in the middle. My parents' uniforms were simple lab coats but the R was still sewed onto their coat pocket haphazardly. It looked very malformed because I was barely seven when mother taught me to sew and so I stole their lab coats to practice. I was surprised that their boss still allowed them to wear it.

"Are you sure you can talk now? It seems like something's wrong."

My dad waved his hand as if to shoo away a fly. "It's just the preliminary alarms. Now, if the lights were flashing yellow, then we have to intervene. So, what's up, my little girl? How's the Kalos region? Were you able to find Oaky?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not sure. That's not why I called you."

Mother tilted her head. Mother had light brown hair and father had the fiery hair I had. We always joked that I looked like a female version of him. Mother looked like a true Alola native with her very tan skin, light brown almost blond hair and bright blue eyes.

I explained to them everything that has happened with Team Flare. Father's face became grim as did mother's. Did they know something?

"I see, so you want a cure for her?" Mother asked.

"I want to keep her alive. Pokemon or human, nobody deserves death so early."

The sirens wailed louder and turned yellow. Now they had to go. "Sorry, honey, just let it go for now. Oh, but if you get the time send us samples of the earth from these dying forests. We'll analyze them further." Father grinned. "Now don't cause much trouble!" Then the screen went black.

I sighed and kicked the wall. "Stupid!"

"That Treecko didn't work out for you?" The annoying voice scraped every fiber of my being and it took as much energy not to punch him. The Alolan trainer was in the lobby, waiting to use the phone.

That's right! I'd totally forgotten about Treecko and Greninja still in the forest! "Treecko is training with Greninja," I lied as I turned on my heels toward him. "How's that Torchic?"

He shook his head. "Torchic isn't any of your concern."

"And Treecko isn't any of yours." I sat on a couch. As if to purposely annoy me the trainer sat across from me. "What's your name, anyway?"

He stared into my eyes for a long while. He had very hard eyes, like life has thrown him one curve after the next. Was he only doing to Torchic what he's learned in life? Thinking about this, I suddenly couldn't hate the trainer. Does he think love is being tough on his pokemon? "Logan," he finally said.

"Logan…I'm Alice."

"I know who you are," he snapped. "Alessandra, Alola's first champion of the Elite Four." He must've seen the confusion on my face because he added; "I'm from Poni Island, so of course I know who you are. Your whole battle with Professor Kukui was aired and the entire region watched. I was nine, not nearly old enough to receive my first pokemon from the Professor."

I nodded. "Torchic and Treecko are native to the Hoenn region," I said it as if he didn't know.

He nodded. "Yes, I went to the Hoenn region shortly after receiving Litten. Your first pokemon was a Rowlett. Now it's a Decidueye."

I shook my head. "You're wrong there. Professor Kukui gave me the Rowlett when I turned eleven, true, but I'm a native to Kalos. My first pokemon was a Froakie. I've never battled with him so you'd never know." I decided not to tell him any more than that.

Outside was sunny and people were happy and unaware of the situation outside of their little town. I kept thinking of Hydreigon. Where was its home? What did it look like now?

I needed to find Greninja and Treecko; I realized they didn't know where I was.


	10. Destruction

I found them extremely quickly. I found out they'd been looking for me as well when I was met with a glaring look from Greninja, his arms folded and his chest puffed like he was intentionally holding his breath.

"What?" I asked innocently. He started in on me, yelling at me in the only way a pokemon could. "I'm sorry, alright?" I interrupted his rant. "I got a little emotional and needed some time to myself."

He went off again, telling me something to the extent that I couldn't be so rash. After all, that's how I sent Treecko over the edge of a cliff.

"That's not fair! I didn't think Treecko would actually have the strength to get in the way of that attack!"

Greninja continued as if I hadn't said a word.

I growled under my breath and stomped back toward Avignon Town. The sunset was burning the fire in orange hues and while I reflected on the oranges and pinks, and while I checked us into a hotel, Greninja never stopped his lecture. The entire way to our room, I'm pretty sure he said several things three or four times over. The entire way Treecko had been quiet. While I flopped on the bed Treecko jumped up, looking like he had something to say as well.

"Lay it on me, Treecko," I mumbled, forcing Greninja to stop midsentence and steam quietly in the corner while Treecko started in. But Treecko's voice was gentler than Greninja's. He still sounded angry but not as loud. He was telling me things about myself I didn't realize until then. "I know," I finally said gently. "I know I can be rash and emotional. But if I wasn't you would've died from that fall and Weavile probably wouldn't have argued so hard for Greninja to come with me. But sometimes it gets to my head and I don't know what to do with it." I smiled at Treecko. "Sometimes I forget that pokemon understand human frustrations."

The sun was no longer shining in our room but the streetlights outside provided enough light for me to still see the ceiling. I opened my mouth to say something else to Treecko but he was asleep so close to me that I could smell the type of tree his twig used to be apart of. It smelled sweet, like a pecha berry.

"Greninja, are you awake?" I half whispered but there was no response. "Greninja?" I sat up, careful not to disturb Treecko. Greninja looked fast asleep but I still spoke to him, "Greninja, I really am sorry that I worried you and Treecko. I was just upset at Xerneas. It won't help me try to save that chimera girl. So, I don't know what to do. She'll die soon if we do nothing. She may die either way but I at least want to try."

Greninja didn't acknowledge what I said or move for that matter but something told me he was still awake.

"Anyway, I don't really have a plan B so, tomorrow we'll talk about it, I guess." I lay back down, facing toward Treecko. He looked so peaceful. "Good night, guys," I whispered and fell into a deep sleep, deeper than I've ever slept before. Was I really this tired or was there another reason?

* * *

 _In this dream I was floating in darkness but it didn't feel as empty as it looked. I looked around for the presence I knew was there. "Hello?" I called out._

 _Finally, a pokemon appeared. It looked proud and as it walked on the air the darkness disappeared and mirrors replaced it. The mirrors didn't reflect the pokemon as it was but it reflected colors in a brilliant mirage of specific colored rainbows, as if it were reflecting pokemon types._

 _Immediately I fumbled with finding my pokedex but couldn't find it. I remembered suddenly that I left it at home back in Alola. I didn't need it, however, I knew immediately what pokemon it was. "Arceus?"_

 _It didn't acknowledge the question._ Human- _It was using telepathy!_

 _"Alessandra. My name is Alessandra."_

 _Arceus looked almost annoyed._ I do not care for your name! _One of the mirrors starting glowing in a brilliant rage of pink that blinded me._ Have you been the one disturbing the natural peace?

 _"I don't understand what you mean," I admitted. The pink light stopped shining to show me the rotting forests. It flashed to an image of the baby girl in the tube. The image showed when I was in the lab with Greninja and Decidueye._

"We won't get out of this unscathed. Are you sure you wanna fight?" While Greninja and Decidueye harmoniously battled I ran to the computer, tapping the keys rhythmically.

"Hey, what are you doing? Stop doing that! You'll ruin everything!"

Gengar popped out of his pokeball unwarranted and made no hesitation on using shadow ball on a human.

 _I touched the mirror and the image disappeared. "Arceus, that girl-"_

She shouldn't be alive. It is a shame when someone so young dies. But then again, _the mirror brought up an image of Hydriegon and Xerneas investigating the rotting trees and from those trees came out the pokemon that used to live in them. They were saddened by the fact that their home had been destroyed._ Then again it is a shame when pokemon attack each other out of confusion because their home is gone. _Another flash showed me walking through that same forest not too long before! I looked tired and distressed. This must've been before I met Treecko. By the way Greninja avoided me, it must've been shortly after being attacked at Ninja Village. Greninja was with me and I had finally stopped and said,_ "Let's stop here for the night. I'm getting kind of hungry."

Destruction follows you everywhere, human.

 _"You aren't seeing the whole story! Hydriegon was ahead of us and so was the destruction!"_

Enough! _All of the mirrors lit up brilliantly, blinding me. I couldn't open my eyes and I even had to cover my eyes with my hands to keep the light from making me blind._ And now because of you Yveltal is not in check. If it awakens…

 _"It won't! I'll make sure it won't!" Finally I didn't see the light and I opened my eyes to the darkness and the emptiness again._

Your word means nothing to me but I will give you only one chance to prove me wrong. Go, and watch Yveltal and protect the All-earth forest and its pokemon.

 _"Arceus, wait!" But it was quiet and I was alone. "So you won't help me either."_

* * *

I woke before the sun rose. Greninja had moved sometime in the night to be near the bed. He was asleep leaned up against it, and Treecko hadn't moved except to roll over. I got out of bed carefully so as not to wake the pokemon and walked outside onto the balcony.

Decidueye came from his pokeball. He'd always been able to read me, even if he was in his pokeball. There was a special kind of bond we had that I never had with Oaky. "Decidueye, can you go to All-earth forest ahead of me? I'll be there as soon as I can check out but…I don't know, I just have this feeling that we need to wait for Xerneas to return."

Decidueye shook his head but took Scizor's pokeball from my pocket. "Yeah, you're right. Scizor needs to know I trust him to be strong too."

Decidueye nodded, his eyes were so full of wisdom. Unlike Oaky and Greninja, Decidueye could always keep his cool even in the heat of battle when it looked like we would lose. The only time he didn't have his head completely was when Gengar joined our team and then we were losing all the time.

I remembered before we left for Kalos Ilima tried to make a quiet comment to Acerola that I should give up finding Oaky because Decidueye was the best pokemon a trainer could have. He was answered with Kiawe elbowing him sharply in the chest.

I called Scizor from his pokeball as well. "Scizor, go with Decidueye to All-earth forest." Decidueye started to object but I interrupted, "All-earth forest is too big for one pokemon, and even with two it's still too big but I need Gengar with me on the off chance we run into trouble."

Decidueye sighed and stopped arguing with me. The two of them took off just as the sun's rays started to touch the sky. The dream still bothered me and I hoped it was just a dream.

* * *

I didn't stop for breakfast and for once Greninja and Treecko had to keep up with me as we ran back to All-earth forest. I was relieved to see the forest appeared unharmed for the most part. The destruction looked to be spreading quickly, however, so it wouldn't be long until it came here.

Noivern's wings startled me but when I realized who it was I calmed down. It looked a bit displeased to see me back so soon. "Don't worry. Since Xerneas is away I thought I'd stay for a while in case something happened."

Noivern nodded but still didn't look pleased and it flew off. I retraced my steps back to the place where all noise stopped except for the waterfall in the distance. Decidueye was standing at the edge of the cliff that looked down upon the waterfall. "Decidueye!" I yelled and ran over to him. He turned around but even he didn't look pleased. "What's wrong?" I asked when I stopped in front of him.

He pointed across the rim to the trees on the other side. Most of the bark was black. He explained that Scizor went to check it out hours ago and hasn't returned. Decidueye stayed behind to guard the other pokemon. Between the two I was more surprised that Scizor went instead of Decidueye but maybe he wanted to prove a point. That he was just as strong as the other pokemon I had.

"Okay, Greninja, Treecko, you two stay here. I think me and Decidueye should go find Scizor."

Treecko begged to come along.

"No, I'm not taking you with me. If I don't come back then how are you supposed to rescue Torchic?"

Treecko shook his head and tried to fight me on the matter but I didn't acknowledge him. I ran with Decidueye to find Scizor on the other side of the forest. If Yveltal awoke then Arceus just might have a reason to stay mad at me.

From a distance, coming from behind us, I heard thunder but there wasn't a cloud in the sky! It was completely blue. When I stopped and turned around, however, I saw pokemon fleeing, including Treecko and Greninja. Decidueye's attention was turned toward the sky so I turned my attention to the black rocket that descended and shook the earth. I expected fire but instead what trickled out of the forest was a black dust. The pokemon that were caught in it quickly became disoriented and choked on the powdery substance that spread into the air. The leaves on the trees fell away and instantly crumbled. What kind of a powerful toxin was this?

"Decidueye, I need to make sure Yveltal doesn't awaken."

Decidueye tilted his head in a questioning way.

"I had a dream that Arceus was angry with me. He blamed me for the land dying and the pokemon attacking each other. With Xerneas gone nobody is here to make sure Yveltal doesn't destroy the land. We have to make sure nothing will wake it."

I couldn't tell if he was questioning my sanity or not but I ignored him nonetheless and ran to the path that would lead me to Yveltal's cocoon. I didn't hear any of my pokemon call me. I needed to make sure that it wouldn't awaken and that's all that was on my mind.

Yveltal's cocoon created a black spot in the lake that it hid in. It looked like it was tightly knit together, the top of it woven by its own claws. "Yveltal," I dared to whisper its name. I wanted to reach out and touch the lake. Slowly, I kneeled by the lake and reached out my hand and stopped short. Something told me not to disturb the lake or Yveltal might wake up.

I stood and turned to start back up out of the cave-like hole. As I did, however, I barely heard a voice shout a command and from my peripheral I saw the flamethrower that came at me straight on.


	11. Where there is death

I couldn't move. I stood frozen with the fear that I would have to move backwards, into the water, or risk getting burned. I held up my arms defensively but I never felt the burn. Slowly my eyes opened and Greninja, I saw, stood in its path, taking the burn meant for me.

"Greninja!" He looked at me, his eyes burning with the anticipation of battle. He wanted me to give him a command. This was the first time I felt something stir in my pocket. I took it out to see that it was the mega stone that Weavile gave to me. "Alright, I understand," I closed my hand around the blue marble-like stone. "Greninja, use Hydro pump!"

On the cliff I saw the Pyroar, I was all too familiar with it. Greninja looked more than pleased about a rematch and jumped into the air. The jump was so high, I was amazed but soon I snapped out of it and turned to Xerneas. "We're going to go to higher ground." I followed the trail back up. The whole forest looked like a forest of dead trees. Greninja's jump brought him to the top and he was dodging one of Pyroar's attacks. Behind Pyroar stood Lysandre and he held something wrapped in a pink blanket.

Greninja stopped dodging when Pyroar stopped attacking on Lysandre's command. "I see you and Greninja have become more of a team," Lysandre snickered. "But will it be enough?"

"What are you doing here, Lysandre? There's nothing for you here!"

This only made him laugh. "Isn't there, though? Because of your meddling this baby girl might not live very long."

I flinched back from his words.

He continued, "You drained enough of the fluid that kept her alive that my scientists couldn't undo what was done. She's only a few days old and already she's becoming weaker. If she dies it'll be blood on your hands."

I flinched again, the disappointment and horror I felt wash over me must've shown in my face as grief. I wasn't able to save her. I wasn't able to convince Xerneas to save her and now the forest here was dying, the pokemon that had been trapped in the toxic smog were choking still, the ones that escaped had no safe place to call home anymore. Scizor was still missing in the forest. Decidueye and Treecko were still trying to escort the pokemon to safety, or at least this was my hope. Greninja and I were here, though, and Yveltal wasn't awake yet.

The horror replaced itself with a hot anger that I've never felt before. The pulsing in my pocket grew stronger. I put my hand in my pocket and pulled it out. It was glowing, and the chain it was attached to reflected the colors brilliantly. "Okay, Greninja," I murmured. "Let's give it everything we've got. It's just you and me!"

"Pyroar, stop them with Dark Pulse!"

Pyroar obeyed its trainer, firing the blast from its mouth.

"Quick, dodge it!"

Greninja jumped high into the air. Everything seemed to slow so suddenly, I wondered for a moment if this was some move I didn't know about. Greninja was wrapped in a blinding light. Even Lysandre had to turn away for a moment but I stared in awe. When the stone stopped glowing, it appeared to shatter off Greninja. He looked different. On his back was a giant water shuriken, some parts of his face was black, his knees gleamed in the light like steel knee guards, and red rings wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Was this a mega evolution?

Lysandre snapped out of his daze before I could. I didn't hear him shout a command but Greninja must've. He acted without me having to tell him. "Greninja, use water pulse!" I yelled just as he released the bubbling water that he held in his hand. At that same time Pyroar let out what sounded like a loud screech but it was worse than that. I covered my ears to vainly block out the sound. It gave me such a headache that I felt sick. I fell to my knees and laid my head in the grass.

 _The forest is dying._ I heard Arceus' voice in my head.

 _The forest is dying,_ I thought. Behind my eyelids I saw myself standing in front of Arceus. I looked down at my hands and then up at it.

 _I see now that you were not the cause of this, human._ Arceus spoke through telepathy again. Again I was amazed. _And for that I am sorry._

 _"Arceus, please help us. We need your help. The pokemon need your help."_

Arceus nodded. _I agree._ Its eyes flashed a pink color. I felt my body stand but I didn't know what was going on. When I spoke I heard my voice but I heard Arceus' as well.

"I will warn you only once, leave this place," the voice said.

 _"What's going on?"_ I demanded of Arceus.

 _It is only a form of telepathy. I am using you as a medium,_ its voice sounded so calm and factual.

Lysandre, not knowing whom he was really speaking to, laughed. Only Greninja looked uneasy. "Do you think I'll give up so easily, Alessandra?"

"Very well," the voice spoke one last time before my body was released. Being released from telepathy like that made my body feel like jelly. My legs gave in and I suddenly felt very tired. Greninja caught my body, relieved that he had my presence back.

"I'm okay," I assured as he helped me up.

Lysandre shook his head and called Pyroar back. "Mienshao, use High Jump Kick!" Mienshao came from its pokeball and wasted no time in obeying.

Greninja picked me up and jumped back. I instinctively put my arms around his neck to feel a bit more stable. He set me down shortly after Mienshao stopped attacking.

"Greninja, water shuriken!" I forced out the command with as much power as I could muster, which wasn't much.

Greninja grabbed the shuriken on his back and flung it toward Mienshao. It connected with the pokemon but it wasn't the only shuriken Mienshao had to worry about. With each shuriken that was tossed another one formed. How it formed I still have no idea but it worked and that's all I needed to know.

Lysandre barked a command the same time I did.

"Use Acrobatics!"

"Greninja, use Hydro Pump!"

Mienshao was able to dodge but it went straight passed Greninja. What was Mienshao doing? Lysandre's mouth twitched upward in a pleased smirk. My eyes widened when I realized what his plan was but it was too late now. I could do nothing but brace myself. Everything slowed down, like in a dream when you try to run but you can't and you try to scream but no sound comes out, that's what this situation felt like.

It slammed into my belly, sending me flying back into a half dead tree. It tackled me again before I was ready for it, this time on my right side and it stood over me. The breath had been knocked out of my lungs. My head pounded painfully.

I stared at Greninja, his eyes wide with what looked like fear. Was it really fear? I didn't know. I smiled and nodded to let him know that I was okay. I was alive anyway. As if reading my mind, Greninja shot a Hydro Pump at the Mienshao.

Mienshao went down like a brick and it didn't get up. I, on the other hand, could finally move even though my chest felt like it was heavy and the breath hadn't quite returned yet. My arm lifted and wrapped around something warm, feathery, and familiar. Decidueye held me now, his eyes full of fire, like Greninja's.

"Where's Scizor?" I croaked.

Decidueye explained that Scizor was investigating something big that had just been set up in the forest. It was big, black, and a timer counted down from 10:30…this was 10 minutes ago.

"It's another bomb!" I yelled the realization.

Lysandre laughed. "Maybe not exactly not like the ones you've just witness. This one will be the biggest the world's ever seen."

As if waiting for some cue the rockets of the bomb echoed through the trees, scattering the pidgey that had remained for one reason or another. Decidueye wasn't exaggerating when he said it was big but maybe he under estimated the size of this bomb!

"We have to stop the bomb," I told Decidueye and Greninja, who only answered with puzzling looks. Even I didn't know how to stop the bomb.

A small, red, insect flew toward the bomb, however, and used hyper beam. I knew that pokemon to be Scizor. "Decidueye, I want you to make sure Treecko stays away."

Decidueye's eyes lowered, as if I were getting rid of them both.

"Hey, don't give me that look. We'll be fine. Promise." It was a false promise and we both knew it but Decidueye let go of me and ran the direction he knew the pokemon went.


	12. The Light

How would we stop a bomb? Scizor wasn't doing much damage to it. It would continue to climb until it ran out of fuel and then it would come crashing down, using gravity to help speed it up and if we stayed all of us would die.

"Gengar!" I released him from his ball. "Greninja, you're the only one who can jump high enough. Go tell Scizor to get out of here. Gengar and I will cover you long enough for you to escape as well."

Greninja didn't move.

"What's wrong with you?" I demanded.

Greninja looked over his shoulder and commanded Gengar instead. He was telling him to run. Gengar gave me a sad look.

"Greninja, if you stay here with me you may not make it."

Greninja nodded. He knew and understood the risks and he was willing to make them. He couldn't run away and he wouldn't. "Gengar, you need to get Scizor out of here."

Gengar nodded but there was something in his eyes that made me wonder if he would really obey me.

It felt like a boulder crashed into my back, right between my shoulder blades, but it felt sharp too like a knife. I flew forward and into Greninja's back, he scratched his arm on a rock. I moved off of him but the movement itself was so painful and it felt like I was choking on something. I coughed into my hand and pulled it away to inspect but I closed my fist when Greninja tried to see what the discoloration was. I had pulled my hand away with my saliva tinted pink.

"I'm fine," I sputtered. I wasn't fine, though. Something in my back felt like it burst and was tearing me apart from the inside. It felt like my lungs took a major hit more than my spine did but I couldn't understand why. Humans weren't ever supposed to fight with pokemon and now I knew why.

Lysandre couldn't help but laugh at me as he approached confidently. Greninja stood in between us but he was easily knocked down by Mienshao's acrobatics. "You aren't fine," Lysandre informed me as I tried to stand. He punched my stomach and more blood spat out of my mouth and onto the baby blanket. I fell onto my side and stared at the horizon. Gengar's shadow ball struck at the rocket and then there was Decidueye trying to help them destroy the bomb but it was all in vain. The rocket started to fall.

Was this it? Was this...the end? Would all of my pokemon die because of me? I didn't have the energy or the hope. So this is what hopelessness felt like. I'd never felt it before. I'd always hoped and dreamed for one thing and because of that one thing I was here? How did I get here?

I closed my eyes and behind my eyelids I could see Oaky, smiling and happy, and I imagined my life with Oaky if I'd only been braver. I opened my eyes again. _If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, would I jump off the cliff after Oaky? Knowing what I know now, would I choose to change my fate and Oaky's?_

The sky opened up and out came a pokemon I've only seen in my dreams. "Arceus," I whispered. Arceus's mirror-like slates came from its body as it got in the way of the rocket. Something about seeing Arceus made me feel a spark again. This was hope. This was the light at the end of a very dark and dizzying tunnel.

"But…how?" Lysandre seemed amazed.

"Arceus knows when the earth is screaming for help." I informed Lysandre. "So it looks like you've failed." Greninja helped me to my feet. I leaned against him but I could feel him trembling. He was very weak right now.

Arceus' slates surrounded it and it stood in the path of the bomb. From this distance and from the way Arceus charged at the bomb, it looked like a ball of light. It only took one hit and the bomb exploded but we could feel how devastating it could've been. It wasn't only loud but it forced the tallest trees to snap at the trunks. The air rippled with its power. This one was a bomb that could've wiped Lumiose right off the map.

One of the slates flew right over our heads missing us by less than a mile but a slate wasn't the only projectile. A piece of the bomb flew straight at us. Greninja fell to his knees, too weak to move. Lysandre had no problems moving with his pokemon right behind him.

I couldn't hear Greninja's voice. Actually, I couldn't hear anything. The object wrapped in fire was all I saw as it hurdled toward us. I was just as weak as Greninja and so I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the impact. Waiting for everything to end. I could see the light behind my eyelids.

If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, would I really try to save Oaky? What opportunities have I missed because he wasn't at my side? What opportunities would I miss if he were?

* * *

When people describe "the light" the part they leave out is that it isn't a bright white light and it isn't warm either. It's more like a dream but it feels so real that I guess it's more like a room, and so, when you open your eyes, you may have my reaction when you see a loved one.

I saw Oaky, still a Froaky. I recognized him because of his eyes and because something in me told me it was Oaky but I also recognized something else. A very slight difference between male and female Froaky that I only noticed because most of my pokemon have been male. Not for any particular reason, only because they happened to be when I caught them. In pokemon with no visible gender differences, you can tell by how soft the eyes are. Males often have harder eyes, ready to protect and ready for battle, and females have softer eyes, ready to nurture and ready to heal.

"Oaky," I whispered, not believing it at first.

Oaky smiled and hopped into my arms. She felt real! She felt the same.

"Oaky! I can't believe it's you!" I tried shouting but it wasn't loud enough to be a shout. I knelt down and allowed her to jump down, though the ground only appeared as air it felt like ground. "Are you really female? Everybody let me think you were a male."

Oaky shook her head, explaining away that it was a common mistake that humans made but pokemon knew the differences. It was easier for them to tell.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't try to save you," my voice broke between sobs. My whole body was shaking. "There's so much I want to tell you."

She explained that there wasn't time and that it was best if I listened instead. It was time for me to move on. It was time to let go of the feelings of regret and guilt. It was time to start living my life. Oaky went on to explain that she didn't regret my decision, even if it was out of fear, because in the end I was safer than if I had fallen with her and now I was much braver than when I was a child. She noted how much I've grown up and that this in itself was worth it. Her life had been fulfilling in the end, and she wouldn't have changed it for the world.

I wiped my eyes and hugged Oaky tightly. "I miss you," I whispered and felt the hot tears run down my cheeks. "Can't you come with me to Alola?"

No, she answered.

I didn't understand at first what I saw. I thought this had been a dream. The bright light disappeared taking Oaky with it and I was left in darkness.

When I opened my eyes there was sunlight. Arceus stood over me, its forehead against mine. The pain in my side was gone. I felt warm and lightheaded and somehow I was still standing in the same position as when I saw that ball of fire that had been hurtling toward us. "You saved me," I croaked.

 _You tried to save the forest. This was only the least I could do._

Pokemon were returning to the forest slowly but they all were saddened at the sight of their home. Standing around me were my pokemon, even Greninja, who looked like he had all of his strength back and his wounds were gone. Treecko stayed on my shoulder, smiling for the first time.

Behind Arceus was Xerneas. The bits of blue that made up its antlers were now different colors, brighter than any other colors I've seen. "Where's Lysandre?" I asked.

Decidueye answered that he had escaped but not with the baby.

"Where's the baby?"

 _She will be fine,_ Arceus explained to us all. _I have only saved her as a favor to you, Alessandra. Consider it an apology that you shall never see._

My forehead scrunched up and my eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

 _The favor comes with conditions. Do not ask where she is because we will not tell. Do not try to seek her out because you will never find her. How she is raised and where she lives is no longer any of your concern. She has been given a name and a new home, away from humans, and somewhere she will be accepted.  
_

"Do I at least get to know her name?" I already knew the answer before I asked it.

 _No._ Arceus answered sternly.

It didn't seem right. It didn't seem fair, either but I didn't argue partly because I was too exhausted and partly because I could see the silver that lined the cloud of despair. She was alive. It was better than being dead. I could only hope she lived a very long life


	13. Oaky and Froakie

We walked the trail leading back to the Ninja Village. I was planning on leaving Greninja in the village he and his group were the most known in. The children would all be so happy to learn that I wouldn't be bringing him with me to Alola. He was strong enough without me.

"Greninja," I stopped. For days I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the dream just before Arceus saved us. "Greninja, whatever your answer is I'll believe you this time." I took a deep breath. "Are you Oaky?"

We stopped walking altogether. He was looking at the ground in silence, as if trying to decide whether or not to tell me. His eyes searched the ground for answers. It seemed like forever until he finally shook his head.

"Then how do you know that song?" I challenged.

Greninja looked sad but he tried to hide it behind a smile as he diverted off the trail and motioned for me to follow. The path became narrow and the trees thickened around us and partially covered the trail. I walked close to Greninja, too afraid to get lost in the dense trail.

Finally, the trees broke and what I saw next will forever stick with me. It was a huge river that served as the playground of Froakie, Frogidier and Greninja. The atmosphere reminded me of Ninja Village, and similar to Ninja Village the Froakie loved Greninja. They surrounded him and tackled him in fun. The Frogidier looked at him in admiration. Many of them wanted to be like him from the looks in their eyes.

When all of them realized my presence they stopped and stared. Even the other greninja stopped to stare. Greninja stood and shooed away the Froakie and Frogidier and led me through the paradise, not even giving the other pokemon a glance as if the stares were normal.

The river broke into two to outline the base of a hill and then it came back together on the other side. It wasn't too wide. I could've jumped across by myself without getting totally wet. Greninja helped me across still and we climbed the steep hill. Here, I could see all the Froakie paradise. The sun danced off the river in brilliant yellows and lit the river green. Now I could see in the trees were pink and blue and white flowers. Soon they'd be berries.

Greninja put a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my trance and I turned around. On the hill was a sprouting tree, still very young but old enough to start producing pecha flowers. Underneath a tree laid a boulder and a small mound that grew sprouts of all sorts of flowers.

I gave Greninja a questioning look. He explained, with tears in his eyes, that in front of me was Oaky. She died two years ago, while I was still in Alola. Oaky had died but never evolved. She always claimed she didn't want to until I came back but I never did. Still, she always claimed I would come back.

Apparently, after falling from the cliff, Oaky was found by a passing Greninja and Frogidier. They both helped her out by bringing her here but she could never find her way home afterwards so she stayed and helped take care of the young pokemon. Eventually, she had a small family herself and Greninja was her son. He said she died happy and that she didn't regret trying to save me.

It was a shock to me. I was so sure that I would find her here. I was so sure Greninja was Oaky…. I felt the tears that spilled down over my cheeks and down my chin. I had been a few years too late. So, the dream I had wasn't really a dream, it was as real as what I was seeing now.

I knelt by the grave and put my hand on the rock, as if I were petting Oaky. "Your eye is black like Oaky's. Why?"

Greninja chatted in a quiet voice that his egg had been dropped when a young Frogidier tried to play a prank by taking it up a tree. After hatching and while as a Froakie he wandered outside of the trail, as the froakie often did here, he had been caught by a trainer, and was abandoned several months later near Ninja Village. He didn't think it was abandonment but, looking back on it, Greninja supposed that maybe the trainer did abandon him. It didn't take Greninja long to find his home again either, and he found Oaky here, still waiting. By then, though, he had a bond with Weavile and couldn't leave him alone with the big dreams they had about rescuing others from evil people.

I couldn't help but smile through the tears.

If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, would I change the past? Would I have jumped off the cliff to save Oaky? Would I have fallen and been lost with her? Would they have rescued me too?

We decided to stay and camp out on top of the hill. That night, we lay under the stars and watched them pass by. The moon was full and lit the tree and the grave in a blue light. We told each other stories of our past. This was one of the best times we had together.

"I don't think any of this is coincidental." I finally told Greninja as a comet passed by.

He looked at me quizzically.

I continued, "There's this old myth that one thing has already been decided for us. There are certain people that we're destined to meet and no matter the distance or the time the two people or pokemon will always be drawn back together because they're connected by a red string that the Fates tie on us when we're born. It's said that it can span across space and time. It's metaphorical, really, but still. I think that you and I were meant to meet and that we'll meet again and again, and we won't ever really be apart."

Greninja chuckled.

"It isn't silly!" I rolled on my stomach to look at him, propping myself up with my elbows.

Greninja waved his hand as if to shoo me, saying he never said anything like that.

I puffed out my cheeks. "You were thinking it," I mumbled, which made him laugh even more. I rolled back onto my back to stare at the stars. Oddly, I didn't feel as sad now. I felt like a door had been closed and it was nice to finally say goodbye and close the door myself. When I closed my eyes, I saw Oaky behind my eyelids, waving goodbye as she hopped away. All I could do was smile.

If I went back in time, knowing what I know now, would I change her fate and mine? The question is easy to answer now. I would never change my fate. I would tell my past self never to be sad and to enjoy the time spent with Decidueye and Gengar and Scizor and my other pokemon that Professor Kukui took care of.

We left early the next morning before the others could wake up and possibly change their minds on allowing me to stay. Apparently, here, nobody was a fan of human trainers and they liked their pokemon even less but Greninja may be an exception since I never actually caught him. Maybe I was an exception because of Oaky but then again maybe not.

Greninja had to explain to me over and over again that they didn't necessarily dislike all humans, only the ones that caught pokemon without asking. People like me.

I was half asleep but Greninja seemed fully rested. How could he stay up so late, wake up so early, and be fine? My eyes wanted to flutter shut. It felt like someone attached weights to them. I yawned and bumped into Greninja when he stopped. "What's wrong?" I asked groggily.

Greninja didn't answer and his arms were folded, and in his eyes held the look of anticipation for a battle. I looked around the thick trees but saw nothing. When I turned around Greninja grabbed me by the waist and pulled me up so suddenly that I nearly missed the water pulse directed at us. He set me down on the branch of a tree and shot water shuriken at something I couldn't see clearly. I held onto Greninja's arm tightly, not feeling at all stable.

Greninja hit it and it fell from one of the trees to the ground. It was a young Froakie but it looked different from the others. It was a lighter blue than a normal froakie and its eyes were even lighter.

Greninja jumped to the ground, out of my grasp to scold the Froakie. I felt unstable on the branch but I held onto the trunk tightly. I hated heights. The lighter Froakie wasn't listening. Instead it used bubble. Greninja, without thinking, dodged it but because of Froakie's angle it hit the branch I was standing on and broke it.

Of course, I couldn't hand on to the trunk very well and I fell. Greninja caught me at the bottom with an apologetic look on his face. The Froakie looked a little horrified at its own action.

"I'm fine," but in truth I was still having a panic attack. I didn't think Greninja would catch me.

This sent Greninja into another fit of lectures, none of which Froakie was listening to. I couldn't follow it very well. "What's this all about?" I finally had to ask.

Greninja explained that it apparently had some form of one sided rivalry. "I'll train Froakie and then, when we come back, you two should battle again."

Greninja tilted his head. Froakie copied his movements.

"Well, Froakie? You can get stronger with me!"

Froakie turned away from me with its arms folded.

"I have plenty of pokemon, Froakie, and they all can teach you a lot of cool stuff." But it wasn't buying it. "Then we'll have a battle! I'll show you how strong I am!"

Froakie's body language changed from a defiant kid to an excited pokemon, one that was ready for battle. This wouldn't take long. "Greninja, use your water Shuriken."

Greninja threw the water stars, knocking Froakie down easily. This way, it was a little easier to catch.

When we were back on our way to Ninja Village Greninja asked what I meant when I said I'd come back.

I sighed, "I'm not taking you with me to Alola because you're strong enough without me. Plus, your friends and family are all here. My friends and family are all in Alola. So, I'm leaving you in Ninja Village." I pat Greninja's head when he looked sad. "Don't look at me like that. I told you, we're connected so we'll always come back to each other." I pulled down his head and pushed my forehead against his in a loving way. I didn't want to leave Greninja but I knew this was for the best.


	14. Here in Alola

"Are you sure you want to leave without Greninja?" Gramps asked when we finally returned to Ninja Village. I was sitting outside of his house with both him and Weavile. Pawniard and Greninja played with the village children. They climbed on Geninja and some pulled on his tongue. The youngest copied their favorite pokemon or chased each other around pretending to be them.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I have other pokemon to take care of anyway. Greninja is strong enough without me."

Weavile shook his head with a quiet chuckle.

"What?" I challenged.

Weavile informed me that Greninja was different now since coming with me and that it was a good thing. He suspected there was something I must've done to help him open up as much as he did.

"I think he was just angry at something," I looked at Greninja. "I mistook him for Oaky because I thought Oaky was a male Froakie but I found out that wasn't the case. But they do look similar. I did eventually find Oaky, but she's staying here in Kalos too." The two nodded in understanding, probably noticing the tone of my voice.

I looked down at my pokeballs and brought out Decidueye. "You ready to go home?" I asked him.

He nodded, happy to see that I was allowing him to stretch out and walk around again like I used to.

Greninja, Weavile, and Pawniard all escorted us out of the village. I knew the first place to go was to Alola, and from there…well who knows.

* * *

The waves bumped up against the boat harshly for the third day again, forcing my head and half of my torso over the edge of the boat again for the third day in a row. I still HATE the ocean more than any pokemon. I was smart enough to put it up in a topknot while I tried not to puke.

I groaned and put my forehead against the rail of the boat. "Why? Why did I have to take a boat? Why can't Professor Kukui just send over a charizard?"

Decidueye responded with a tilt of his head. He, at least, seemed fine.

In the distance I saw a familiar face. I smiled and waved at the dark skinned, goofy boy jumping up and down. "Hau!" I yelled as the boat got closer and when we docked I half jumped off the boat. Hau had been my friend since I met him at Professor Kukui's. He was goofy but very sweet, almost naïve.

"Wow, Decidueye, you look great!" Hau tugged on the pokemon's wings and ran around him. Decidueye looked only a little annoyed. "Where's Oaky? I was hoping to battle him?" He looked disappointed.

"Oaky…Oaky is back at Kalos. She's happy there."

Hau's brown eyes widened, "She?"

I nodded. "I'd been mistaken. Oaky was female. But that's okay that I left her because I have a new friend. The Froakie attacked me while I was coming home so I caught him."

His bright eyes sparkled when he smiled. "Well, come on! Everyone's waiting for you!" He pulled me along and I couldn't help but laugh. He pulled me up the hill to Iki Town. Decidueye ran to keep up with us.

"Wait, Hau, I need to go home and change! The air here is kind of sticky, nothing like Kalos."

Hau stopped and grinned. "That's okay. I don't think they're ready yet anyway."

Ready for what? I didn't ask, I didn't want to. We detoured back down the hill and toward the ocean where my house sat. It was the only house, the closest neighbor being Professor Kukui's house right at the beach.

I changed into a loose top that exposed my belly and baggy shorts. Alola was sticky because we were surrounded my salt water but I loved the stickiness as long as I had loose clothes too.

Hau finally didn't drag me as we made our way up the hill to Iki town. I abandoned my pack at home, taking only the pokeballs with me. I could always give them to Professor Kukui if I needed to trade out my pokemon.

The sunset here was unlike Kalos. The sun often lit the sky on fire in brilliant oranges and pinks. Apparently, everyone waited for my arrival so they could throw a party and have one more reason to battle. Hala challenged that anyone come and defeat him. Of course Hau was first up.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Where's Oaky?" Everyone continued to ask me.

"At Kalos," I continued to answer everyone.

Late into the night I slipped away into the dense forest and made my way across the bridge that may or may not hold up my body weight. Decidueye, like always, was right by my side never once skipping a step. I walked to the stone statue that depicted Tapu Koko, the Guardian of the island, and I touched it.

"Tapu Koko," I whispered to the stone, "I'm back."

I heard it answer with a screech but it didn't show itself. I nodded and left an offering of a few different berries and went back to the party. The Tapus and I had a long history with each other. I battled every single one of them. You don't become the Champion of Alola without each of the Tapu's blessings after all!

The party was still more than lively when I came back. Professor Kukui waved me over when he saw me. "Good to have you back, Cousin!" He grinned. "How was Kalos?"

"Pretty dreary. Not as colorful as it is here. I think…I think I'll stay here for a while." I nodded and smiled up at him. "Oh, I have some new pokemon too." I called out Froakie and Treecko to show off.

Professor Kukui knelt down with a curious gleam and nodded. "They look like fine pokemon. Raise them well."

I nodded. "I will. Are the rest of my pokemon still with you?"

He nodded as he stood. I called the two pokemon back. "And they can't wait to see you again. Especially rotom," he laughed. "He's been tearing up my lab since you left. I didn't bring him with me so you'll have to go straight to my lab before going home."

I smiled and looked at the sky as the fireworks started.

"Everyone is happy to have their Champion back," Kukui claimed. I looked around at all of the smiling faces. Sometimes I wish I didn't waste my life trying to find Oaky. Sometimes I hope I'll be able to do a better job raising Froaky. Sometimes I'm more than confident in my skills as Alola's Champion.

Here in Alola the bond between pokemon and trainers are different. I think it's something in the air, or maybe it's simply the people themselves but everyone here is livelier. The world could end and our solution is to throw a party. Whatever it is it's a place everyone flocks to for vacation but not me. I think I'll stay and defend my title until the Tapus pass their blessing to someone else, which won't be for a very long


End file.
